Children's Dental Service Utilisation and Geographic Inequality in Latvia: A Cross-Sectional Study of National Health Service Data

Background: Latvia provides state-funded dental care for children under 18 years. However, little is known about the actual utilisation of these services and whether geographic disparities exist.

Aim: To characterise the distribution and utilisation of state-funded dental services for children in Latvia during 2022.

Methods: Cross-sectional study using administrative data from the National Health Service of Latvia for the year 2022. We analysed 2,887,699 dental procedures from 447,849 visits. Descriptive statistics were calculated for service utilisation by age, provider type, and geographic region. Coverage was defined as the proportion of children who attended a dental provider at least once during the year.

Results: Of 356,864 children aged 0-17 years in Latvia, 178,810 (50.1%) used state-funded dental services in 2022. However, only 36.7% attended a dentist during the year. A total of 129,215 children visited a general dentist, and 111,225 visited a dental hygienist. Utilisation peaked at age 7 years (57.4% coverage) and was lowest in children under 3 years (0.2-18.0%). Geographic inequality ranged from 13.7% in Valmiera and Jēkabpils regions to 62.6% in Rēzekne. Several municipalities had no dental hygienist services available.

Conclusions: Despite universal state funding, only one-third of Latvian children attended a dentist in 2022. Geographic disparities in service availability and utilisation suggest that funding alone does not ensure access. Policy interventions should address workforce distribution and barriers to care in underserved regions.