A grounded theory analysis of unmet dental care experiences among platform-based mobile workers

Objectives: To explore the experiences of unmet dental needs in platform-based mobile workers and to identify the factors and processes influencing utilization of dental care using a grounded theory approach. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 platform-based mobile workers in Seoul, Republic of Korea, including designated drivers, delivery drivers, and couriers/messengers. Participants were purposively sampled, and data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology, including open, axial, and selective coding. Results: The central phenomenon was “repeated experiences of unmet dental needs.” Causal conditions were work environments that hindered dental visits and the financial burden of dental visits. Contextual conditions included uncertainty in platform work, poor working conditions and physical fatigue, psychological stress and low occupational recognition, socioeconomic vulnerability and the monetization of time, insufficient social and institutional protection, and low oral health awareness. Intervening conditions included expanded institutional support for workers in special types of employment, platform-linked dental care support, and rest and recovery support. Action–interaction strategies included attempts to use dental care under constrained conditions and the intention to use dental care with available support. Consequently, participants perceived that such support could assist in improving their access to dental care. Conclusions: Unmet dental care among platform-based mobile workers reflects structural constraints related to unpredictable working conditions, financial burden, and insufficient social protection. These findings may provide a basis for the development of oral health policies and integrated institutional, platform-based, and shelter-based strategies to improve access to dental care.