Crafting dental specialities in Iran: insights from a qualitative study.

Background: Different countries have varying dental specialities, shaped by diverse factors. The determinants influencing the development of these specialities differ between developed and developing countries. This study aimed to explore the factors contributing to the establishment of dental specialities in Iran, a developing country with a wide range of recognised dental specialities.

Parents' Willingness-to-Pay for Fissure Sealant and Fluoride Varnish Therapy in Public and Private Pediatric Clinics.

Aim: This study employed the willingness-to-pay (WTP) method to investigate parents' valuation of fissure sealant (FS) and fluoride varnish (FV) therapy.

Design: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2021 among 100 parents. The maximum WTP were collected using payment cards, an originally developed validated and reliable questionnaire, educational videos, and a hypothetical scenario.

Teledentistry accuracy for caries diagnosis: a systematic review of in-vivo studies using extra-oral photography methods.

Background: Dental caries is a global public health concern, and early detection is essential. Traditional methods, particularly visual examination, face access and cost challenges. Teledentistry, as an emerging technology, offers the possibility to overcome such barriers, and it must be given high priority for assessment to optimize the performance of oral healthcare systems.

Association Between Dental Expenditure and Socioeconomic Status in Iran.

Background: Health care spending by households can be a great indicator of a society's commitment to good health stewardship and the efficiency of institutions responsible for managing health costs. Equitable and appropriate distribution of dental services is a challenging issue for realising universal health coverage. This study aimed to evaluate Iranian households' per capita dental expenditure (DE) according to their socioeconomic status (SES).

Painless cost control as a central strategy for universal oral health coverage: A critical review with policy guide.

Aim: This study aimed to critically review the methods used to control the significantly increasing costs of dental care.

Methods: Through a comprehensive search of the available literature, the cost control (CC) mechanisms for health services were identified from a healthcare system perspective. The probable applicability of each CC method was evaluated mainly based on its potential contribution to oral health promotion.

Understanding why oral health professionals migrate: A qualitative investigation of Iranian dentists who have moved to Canada (Oral health professionals' migration).

Background: The migration of health professionals from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to High-Income countries (HICs) is an ongoing phenomenon that has been accelerating with globalisation. While there has been growing research around the migration of physicians and nurses, there is less understanding of the motives surrounding the migration of dentists, and even less about their migration from specific countries.

Objectives: This qualitative study explores the migration motivations of Iranian dentists who have moved to Canada.

The impact of sugar-sweetened beverages tax on oral health-related outcomes: a systematic review of the current evidence.

Objective To provide a systematic overview of the impact of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on oral health-related outcomes.Data sources For this PRISMA-compliant review, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central for relevant studies published from database inception to 27 August 2020.Data selection and extraction Two reviewers assessed the abstracts and then the full text of the studies.

Thematic analysis of the policies of Iran's health higher education.

Background: In 1985, the Iranian parliament approved the integration of Medical Education and Health Services and the establishment of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, which has since been the policymaker of Health Higher Education in Iran. The policies are not based on a codified framework and many were abolished at some point. Some critical issues are not addressed and some activities overlap.

Parents' preferences for preventive and curative dental services: A comparison between fissure sealant and composite filling using willingness-to-pay method.

Background: The early years of life play a significant role in the lifelong health of humans and parents have an important role in healthcare decision making. Thus, it seems necessary for policymakers and clinicians to be aware of how parents value pediatric health services. Willingness to pay (WTP) is a recommended method for measuring the stated utility of health services/goods or health states.

An overview of the methodological aspects and policy implications of willingness-to-pay studies in oral health: a scoping review of existing literature.

Background: Demands for dental services seem to be beyond the capacities of most healthcare systems these days. Patient preferences have been increasingly emphasized to be considered in the joint decision-making process. Willingness-to-pay (WTP) is a recommended method for measuring the utility of health services; increasingly being used in recent decades.

Measurement components of socioeconomic status in health-related studies in Iran.

Objective: The socioeconomic status (SES) is as a symbol of social determinants of health which has a dominant influence on population health. The purpose of this study was collecting, weighing, and determining the most relevant SES measurement items in Iran.

Results: The SES health studies conducted in Iran was searched from 2007 to 2017.

Commentary: Necessity of Blending Dental Education Into the Mainstream of Medical Education as a Specialty Area: Advocating for a Reform Idea Aiming to Promote the Health System Performance in Iran.

With the knowledge we have today about the concept of health and its complexities and determinants, the separation between medical and dental education (DE) does not seem reasonable anymore. Dentistry has mainly developed based on a mechanical approach to treat the related problems. This makes the efforts for reorientation of dental care (DC) toward a preventive approach, relying upon dentists as the chief oral health (OH)-related workforce, inefficient.

Developing a decision support system to link health technology assessment (HTA) reports to the health system policies in Iran.

The recent increase of 'Health Technology Assessment' (HTA)-related activities in Iran has necessitated the clarification of policy-making process based on the HTA reports. This study aimed to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) in order to adopt evidence-informed policies regarding health technologies in Iran. The study can be classified as Health Policy and Systems Research.

Health Technology Assessment of CEM Pulpotomy in Permanent Molars with Irreversible Pulpitis.

Introduction: Teeth with irreversible pulpitis usually undergo root canal therapy (RCT). This treatment modality is often considered disadvantageous as it removes vital pulp tissue and weakens the tooth structure. A relatively new concept has risen which suggests vital pulp therapy (VPT) for irreversible pulpitis.

Social insurance for dental care in Iran: a developing scheme for a developing country.

Aims: This study aimed to describe the current situation with regard to dental care provided under social insurance in Iran in qualitative terms and to assess it critically with regard to equity and efficiency.

Methods: After a thorough review of the relevant literature, a template of topics, which included population coverage, range of treatment provided, contracting mechanisms, fees, level of co-payments and dental share of total health expenditures, was developed by a panel of Iranian health finance experts. It was used during interviews with informed persons from the different Iranian social funds.