Is the oral health reform in Israel optimally distributed? - A commentary

A traditional and ethical principle recognizes a country's primary general welfare responsibility to the young and the old. However, the middle, adult, age group cannot and should not be disregarded. The current dental component of the National Health Insurance Law (NHIL), in Israel, only inclu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Israel journal of health policy research 2019-03, Vol.8 (1), p.33-33, Article 33
Main Authors: Sgan-Cohen, Harold, Tobias, Guy, Zini, Avraham
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of Daily Living
Adult
Adults
Age
Age groups
Aged
Analysis
Child
Children
Dental care
Dental caries
Dental health
Dental health care
Dental public health
Diabetes
Economic aspects
Epidemiology
Geriatrics
Health care
Health care industry
Health care policy
Health Care Reform
Health insurance
Health insurance industry
Health maintenance organizations
Health policy
HMOs
Humans
Insurance law
Israel
Laws, regulations and rules
Middle age
National health insurance
National health insurance law
National Health Programs
Older people
Oral Health
Oral hygiene
Population
Public health
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Summary:A traditional and ethical principle recognizes a country's primary general welfare responsibility to the young and the old. However, the middle, adult, age group cannot and should not be disregarded. The current dental component of the National Health Insurance Law (NHIL), in Israel, only includes children and the elderly. The present commentary focuses on the large group of adults, age 19-74, which are currently excluded.The cumulative incidence of disease increases over the lifetime of a person. We believe that a NHIL commitment with a major age gap in coverage is unacceptable. The recent manuscript, published by Natapov et al., in this journal, has documented the overall dental health of the older Israeli population, with emphasis on nutritional aspects. This contribution to the literature is commendable. However, we aim to follow in the steps of the Alma Ata Declaration and Ottawa Charter of the World Health Organization (WHO) and to clarify that the government's responsibility should cover all residents regardless of their age. In addition, a dental health epidemiological data base, currently nonexistent for adults, is called for.
ISSN:2045-4015
2045-4015
DOI:10.1186/s13584-019-0302-z