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Costs of dental treatment

The costs of oral disease prevention versus treatment

British Dental Journal volume 236, page 966 (2024)Cite this article

Key points

  • Since public funding is finite, we need to consider the relative value of different types of care.

  • Many preventive interventions produce good outcomes relative to cost, but they may require additional funding.

  • Population health interventions, such as water fluoridation, generally tend to be cost-saving, whereas the evidence for cost-saving using more selective, clinically based interventions is mixed, which is a pattern also seen across healthcare more generally.

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References

  1. Listl S, Galloway J, Mossey P A, Marcenes W. Global Economic Impact of Dental Diseases. J Dent Res 2015; 94: 1355-1361.

  2. Cohen J T, Neumann P J, Weinstein M C. Does preventive care save money? Health economics and the presidential candidates. N Eng J Med 2008; 358: 661-663.

  3. Nguyen T M, Tonmukayakul U, Le L K, Calache H, Mihalopoulos C. Economic Evaluations of Preventive Interventions for Dental Caries and Periodontitis: A Systematic Review. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 2023; 21: 51-70.

  4. Davidson T, Blomma C, Bågesund M et al. Cost-effectiveness of caries preventive interventions - a systematic review. Acta Odontol Scand 2021; 79: 309-320.

  5. Tickle M, O'Neill C, Donaldson M et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Caries Prevention in Dental Practice. J Dent Res 2017; 96: 741-746.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Dental Public Health, University of Liverpool, UK

    Rebecca Harris

Authors
  1. Rebecca Harris
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Correspondence to Rebecca Harris.

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Cite this article

Harris, R. The costs of oral disease prevention versus treatment. Br Dent J 236, 966 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7556-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-024-7556-8

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