Child Dental Benefit Policies and the Health of Australian Children

该项目旨在研究澳大利亚政府最近两项旨在改善儿童牙齿健康的举措的早期效果，这两项举措是通过提供资金，为贫困家庭的儿童提供基本的牙科服务。研究探讨了影响合资格儿童从这些措施中获益的因素，并确定了这些改变的医疗融资安排对儿童牙科服务消费、口腔健康和一般健康指标以及其他认知和非认知发展指标的因果影响。利用先进的计量经济学技术和面板数据集，该项目预计将有助于制定促进健康和福祉的有效政策。

This project aims to examine the early effects of two recent initiatives by the Australian government to improve children’s dental health by providing funds to cover essential dental services for children from disadvantaged families. It explores the factors affecting eligible children’s access to benefits from these initiatives and identifies the causal impacts of these changed health care financing arrangements on children’s consumption of dental services, indicators of oral health and general health, and other indicators of cognitive and non-cognitive development. Using advanced econometric techniques and panel datasets, this project is expected to contribute to the development of effective policies for promoting health and wellbeing.