Brussels: In 2024, 6.3% of people aged 16 years or older in the EU reported unmet dental care needs due to financial reasons, long waiting lists, or distance from providers. This information comes from a press release by Eurostat.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Greece saw the highest percentage of unmet dental care needs within the EU at 27.1%, followed by Latvia at 16.5% and Romania at 16.2%. Conversely, the countries with the lowest reported unmet needs were Malta (0.4%), Germany (0.9%), and Croatia (1.1%).
Data reveals a significant disparity in unmet dental care needs between those at risk of poverty and those not. In 2024, 13.7% of people at risk of poverty reported unmet needs, compared to 5.1% of those not at risk. This trend was consistent across all EU countries.
The most pronounced differences were seen in Romania, where 43.5% of those at risk of poverty reported unmet dental care needs versus 12.6% of those not at risk-a gap of 30.9 percentage points. Greece exhibited a similar pattern with a gap of 30.1 percentage points, as 52.8% of impoverished individuals reported unmet needs compared to 22.7% of those not impoverished. Latvia and Portugal also showed notable discrepancies, with gaps of 24.5 and 20.5 percentage points, respectively.
On the other hand, Germany, Malta, and Poland recorded the smallest gaps between the two groups, with differences of 1.3, 1.5, and 1.7 percentage points, respectively.