The effects of the financial crisis on the general and dental health status of Greek citizens.

PURPOSE: To present the impact of the financial crisis on health status and dental health in Greece and compare it to the European Union and Finland and to identify any changes in health-related expenditure focusing on pharmaceutical expenditure and generic medicines. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Databases as Scopus, Pubmed, Google Scholar, World Health Organization, Eurostat, and Elstat were used. FINDINGS: Indicators, such as mortality and life expectancy, show that there is no clear correlation between health deterioration and financial crisis while dental health has deteriorated. Out-of-pocket expenses were found to be catastrophic, and the use of generic medicines is still limited. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Proper prescribing of medicines, coverage of health care costs by the government, and cost savings from the use of generic medicines were implemented. As regards dental care, the state should focus on prevention as well as reinforcement of public dental care services. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The break through idea is to compare the impact of the financial crisis on health indexes in Greece with the European Union and Finland, to focus on pharmaceutical expenditure, generic medicines, and dental health.