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Dentistry and distributive justice.
Shafik Dharamsi1, Michael I MacEntee
1Department of Clinical Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|July 30, 2002
Summary
Achieving equitable oral health services requires addressing financial constraints and market influences. This study explores distributive justice theories to benefit the least advantaged through prevention and curative care social contracts.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Bioethics
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Growing concern over healthcare inequities amid public financial restraints.
- Health professions operate within free-market economic priorities.
- Public expectation for effective, accessible, available, and affordable oral health services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore theories of distributive justice for achieving equitable oral health services.
- To analyze libertarianism, egalitarianism, and contractarianism in basic care and quality of life.
- To propose a socially responsible framework for oral healthcare provision.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of distributive justice theories.
- Analysis of theories within the context of basic care and quality of life.
- Discussion of implications for oral health service provision.
Main Results:
- Limited reference in literature to distributive justice for oral health equity.
- Libertarianism, egalitarianism, and contractarianism offer different perspectives.
- A socially responsible, egalitarian approach to prevention is suggested.
Conclusions:
- An egalitarian perspective on prevention, combined with a social contract for curative care, can maximize benefits for the least advantaged.
- Addressing economic influences is crucial for equitable oral healthcare.
- Further research into implementing these justice theories in practice is warranted.