Impact of diabetes diagnosis on dental care utilization: evidence from Finland

BACKGROUND: Poor oral health is associated with many chronic diseases, including diabetes. As diabetes can worsen oral health and vice versa, care guidelines recommend that patients with diabetes maintain good oral health and have regular dental checkups. We analyzed the impact of receiving an initial type 2 diabetes diagnosis on dental care utilization. METHODS: We used register data on residents aged over 25 in the city of Oulu, Finland, covering the years 2013–2018. We used the difference-in-differences method and individuals with no diabetes diagnosis as control group. As robustness checks, we used propensity score matching and constructed an alternative control group from patients that received the same diagnosis a few years apart. RESULTS: Despite the guideline recommendations, we found that receiving a diabetes diagnosis did not increase the probability for dental care visits in a two-year follow-up. The findings remained similar for both high-income and low-income persons. CONCLUSIONS: The finding is concerning in terms of diabetes management and oral health. Further research is needed on the reasons behind the lack of response to guidelines. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13561-023-00440-z.