OBJECTIVES Oral health inequality in children is a widespread and well-documented problem in oral healthcare. However, objective and reliable methods to determine these inequalities in all oral health aspects, including both dental attendance and oral health, are rather scarce. AIMS To explore oral health inequalities and to assess the impact of socioeconomic factors on oral health, oral heal...

BACKGROUND In the Peruvian Amazon, historical events of colonization and political marginalization intersect with identities of ethnicity, class and geography in the construction of gender and health inequities. Gender-based inequalities can manifest in poor health outcomes via discriminatory practices, healthcare system imbalances, inequities in health research, and differential exposures and ...

This article describes a systematic process of geographic and strategic planning for healthcare services as a part of a regional development plan in the Israeli Galilee. The planning process consisted of three stages: (a) assessment of needs, demand and existing resources; (b) prioritisation of initiatives; and (c) scheduling of theoretical priorities. For many years the region has suffered fro...

BACKGROUND Some effective public health interventions may increase inequalities by disproportionately benefiting less disadvantaged groups ('intervention-generated inequalities' or IGIs). There is a need to understand which types of interventions are likely to produce IGIs, and which can reduce inequalities. METHODS We conducted a rapid overview of systematic reviews to identify evidence on I...

Pierre-Gerlier Forest has put forward the case that we are on the brink of a revolution in health policy that will be the result of the interplay of five factors. I would not challenge any of them but would emphasize the need to address socio-economic health inequalities, which have the potential to become a major cost driver in a time of growing economic inequality. To Dr. Forest's list, I wou...

BACKGROUND Geographical distribution of healthcare resources is an important dimension of healthcare access. Little work has been published on healthcare resource allocation patterns in China, despite public equity concerns. METHODS Using national data from 2043 counties, this paper investigates the geographic distribution of hospital beds at the county level in China. We performed Gini coeff...

P olicies aimed at reducing inequalities in the healthcare domain in France tend to be focused on access to healthcare, either by extending Statutory Health Insurance coverage (Universal Health Insurance Coverage (CMU) known as "basic" coverage, and State Medical Aid (AME), or by extending complementary health insurance coverage (complementary CMU and financial assistance for the acquisition of...

BACKGROUND Despite substantial falls in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in the United Kingdom (UK), marked socioeconomic inequalities in CHD risk factors and CHD mortality persist. We investigated whether inequity in CHD healthcare in Wales (UK) could contribute to the observed social gradient in CHD mortality. METHODS AND FINDINGS Linking data from primary and secondary care we constr...