ASSESSMENT OF DENTAL CARE IN UKRAINE DURING THE WAR: SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS AND PATIENT BEHAVIOR
Abstract
The article presents an assessment of dental care in Ukraine from the standpoint of consumers of dental services as a reflection of the systemic crisis in healthcare. It is shown that the combination of infrastructural destruction, personnel losses, socio-economic instability, and psychological consequences of the war has caused changes in the structural and behavioral characteristics of the dental market. The study outlines the transformation of consumer behavior of patients, which is manifested in a reorientation from planned and aesthetic procedures to basic and urgent services, in increasing sensitivity to the cost of treatment, and in a decrease in the regularity of visits to the dentist. A tendency to increase awareness of the role of prevention as an affordable means of maintaining health has been identified. A shift in behavioral strategies from proactive care practices to reactive visits, caused by economic and emotional factors, has been confirmed. It has been proved that socio-economic constraints caused by the war intensify inequality in access to dental care and, at the same time, change the processes of service organization and the structure of demand. The expediency of applying approaches focused on the psychological safety and trust of the patient, developing insurance instruments for financial protection, and digital formats of interaction with patients has been substantiated. It has been emphasized that teledentistry and preventive programs can become effective mechanisms for ensuring continuity of care during the wartime and post-war periods. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive theoretical and empirical substantiation of changes in the dental behavior of the population under the influence of factors caused by the war and in determining the key socio-economic determinants that form a new model of dental service consumption. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the possibility of their use for developing strategies for the restoration of the dental sector, improving the accessibility and quality of dental care, forming communication and insurance mechanisms for supporting patients, as well as introducing digital technologies into the healthcare system.
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