Time to Assess Cost-Effectiveness of Technologies in Dentistry

Objective: Health economic evaluations provide decision makers with important information regarding the cost-effectiveness of technologies. However, such evaluations are still rare in most dental areas, and there is furthermore a need for methodological development in estimating costeffectiveness within dentistry. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of methods used for estimating cost-effectiveness, and provide guidance for performing health economic evaluations within dentistry. Methods: Available health economics methods are discussed and analysed according to their usefulness when assessing cost-effectiveness in dentistry. Results: All types of health economic analyses may be suitable for evaluation in dentistry. It is most important that the outcome should be relevant to the decision problem. For this reason, various clinical outcomes are often used, such as DMFT or mm adjustment, number of infections, construction survival, etc. depending on what technology is assessed. It would be of value to also use quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) as this is the most commonly used outcome measure in health economic evaluation, but this has rarely been done. Conclusion: There is a need for more health economic evaluations within dentistry to be able to use scarce resources efficiently. In this paper we discuss methods for how this can be done, with a focus on the use of outcome measures relevant for decision makers. </p

Caries treatment in Swedish adults : effectiveness, costs and equity. A 4-year follow-up study of data from the Swedish national dental health register

Planering och styrning av tandvård på nationell nivå bör baseras på utvärderingar av jämlik fördelning, effektivitet och kostnader. Med inrättandet av tandhälsoregistret vid Socialstyrelsen öppnas möjligheter för studier av tandvårdens processer och resultat. Syftet med studien var att utifrån två identifierade kohorter longitudinellt följa och analysera frekvens och kostnader för ny fyllning eller tandkrona på tidigare restaurerad tand (omgörningar) samt relationen mellan förebyggande tandvårdsåtgärder i relation till reparativ och restaurativ tandvård orsakad av karies. Med hjälp av tandhälsoregistret studerades två kohorter omfattande den vuxna befolkningen. En longitudinell modell användes för uppföljning. I den första kohorten följdes 1 878 887 tänder hos 1 088 923 patienter mellan 42 och 48 månader. I den andra kohorten följdes 1 703 147 patienter under en period av mellan 48 och 54 månader. Fördelning av tandvård för olika åldersgrupper visade att kohorterna var representativa för hela patientgruppen. Fördelning av tandvårdsbesök varierade mellan 140 och 160 räknat per 1 000 invånare trots olika geografiska förutsättningar. Resultaten baserade på den första kohorten visar att 76% av tänderna inte fick någon ytterligare åtgärd med fyllning eller tandkrona under uppföljningsperioden, och att för resterande 24% av tänderna fick 77% endast en ny åtgärd. Det förelåg ingen könsskillnad, däremot skillnader på upp till tre intakta tänder mellan olika regioner. Resultat från den andra kohorten visade heller ingen könsskillnad. De genomsnittliga kostnaderna för reparativa åtgärder på grund av karies ökade gradvis i relation till ökade kostnader för förebyggande åtgärder. Vidare var kostnaderna för reparativa åtgärder lägre ju längre tid som följde mellan förebyggande åtgärder. Det nationella tandhälsoregistret utgör en värdefull källa för forskning om tandvård. Longitudinella registerdata för reparationer och preventiva åtgärder kan användas för att studera effektivitet, kostnader och jämlik fördelning av tandvård. Resultaten har en potential för förbättrad styrning av tandvården.At a national level, planning and management of dental services should be based on assessments of equity, effectiveness and costs. In Sweden, data for the adult population are now accessible through The Swedish dental health register, at The National Board of Health and Welfare. This study, on two large cohorts of Swedish adults, is based on longitudinal follow-up data, retrieved from the Swedish dental health register. The aims were twofold:to assess frequencies and costs of fillings and crowns, including subsequent repair; secondly to study the relationship between preventive and restorative dental treatment. The Swedish dental health register provides data on the adult population which offers a new perspective on public health aspects of management of dental care at the national level. A longitudinal, prospective study model was used to follow-up two large cohorts for over four years. In the first cohort, data on 1,088,923 adult patients were analysed with reference to provision of single crowns and fillings over a period of 42 - 48 months. The second cohort comprised 1,703,147 adult patients:the data were analysed with reference to preventive interventions over a period of 48 - 54 months. Frequencies of distribution of dental care by age group showed that the cohorts were representative for the whole patient group. With respect to equity, the average number of dentist appointments per -1,00o inhabitants for all 21 regions of Sweden was 140 to 160, despite major variations in geographic conditions and population densities. With respect to effectiveness, about 76% of the teeth with index interventions required no additional intervention over four consecutive years of follow-up. For the remaining 24% of the teeth 77% had only one additional intervention. When differences of case -mix were taken into account, the costs of repairs to earlier interventions were basically similar, regardless of age-group.There were no gender differences. However, there were pronounced differences, of up to three intact teeth, among patients from different regions of Sweden. Follow-up of effects of caries prevention showed no gender differences. However, costs for reparative interventions increased with higher costs for preventive treatment. Moreover, the longer the interval between preventive interventions, the lower the costs for reparative interventions.The national dental health register is a potentially valuable source of data for dental research. In this study, longitudinal registry data on restorative and preventive treatment were retrieved and analysed, with reference to efficacy, costs and equity. The results have potential application in improving management of public dental health

Caries as experienced by adult caries active patients : a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE: In the western world, increased oral health has resulted in a skewed occurrence of caries disease where relatively few individuals now account for most caries disease. This study examines how adults with recurrent caries activity experience caries disease and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is based on qualitative data from individual interviews, which were subjected to qualitative content analysis. The interviews were semi-structured and thematic and an interview guide was used that consisted of two main areas with open ended questions. Meaning units were condensed and labelled with a code which preserved the core content of the reduced text. Codes were assigned to different subcategories according to their similarities or differences. Subcategories formed categories which describe the manifest content of the text. RESULTS: The domain "experience with caries" consisted of four subcategories that formed the main category Caries - an unwelcomed acquaintance. The domain "experience with caries treatment" consisted of three subcategories that formed the category Caries treatment - pain for gain. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive non-operative treatment and close follow-ups should precede restorations; this would probably gain insight in how to avoid new cavities to a greater extent. If to be supportive, information and advice about self-care given to individuals with recurrent cavities should be delivered with respect to the patient's feelings about their experience of dental caries

Knowledge Gaps in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery : a Systematic Mapping

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate available knowledge and identify knowledge gaps within the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, by systematically collecting and evaluating systematic reviews. Twelve specific domains were selected: surgical removal of teeth, antibiotic and corticosteroid prophylaxis, orofacial infections, dental and facial trauma, orthognathic surgery, reconstructive surgery, benign tumors, cysts, premalignant lesions, oral complications of treatment of malignant tumors, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, temporomandibular joint surgery, cost effectiveness of different surgical treatments, and ethics. Methods: The literature search, covering four databases, was conducted during September 2014: PubMed, The Cochrane library, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and EBSCO dentistry and oral science source. Retrieved systematic reviews were quality assessed by AMSTAR. Results: In all, 1,778 abstracts were identified, of which 200 met the inclusion criteria. Forty-five systematic reviews were assessed as of high to moderate quality. The results disclosed some existing evidence in a few domains, such as surgical removal of teeth and implant survival after sinus lifts. However, in all domains, the search revealed a large number of knowledge gaps. Also of concern was the lack of data regarding health economics and ethics. Conclusions: In conclusion, there is a need for well-conducted clinical research in the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery

The risk for infraposition of dental implants and ankylosed teeth in the anterior maxilla related to craniofacial growth, a systematic review

Background The aim of the study was to evaluate a potential association between individuals with different craniofacial types or other exposures, and the risk of infraposition due to continued growth/eruption of adjacent teeth in the anterior maxilla. Materials and methods This is a systematic review in which primary studies as well as other systematic reviews are scrutinised. A search of PubMed (Medline), Scopus, Web of science and Health technology assessment (HTA) organisations and a complementary handsearch was carried out. Selected studies were read in full-text by several reviewers. The quality of the included primary studies was assessed using a protocol for assessment of risk of bias in exposure studies. Results The literature search resulted in 3,296 publications. Title and abstract screening yielded 25, whereof one systematic review, potential publications allocated for full-text inspection. The quality assessment resulted in a total of seven studies with a low/moderate risk of bias and four studies with a high risk of bias. Conclusion In conclusion, a long-term risk for infraposition of dental implants, or ankylosed teeth, among natural teeth can be observed in some cases. The predisposing factors are still not fully understood since the current scientific evidence is very limited

Economic aspects of the detection of occlusal dentine caries

Swedish Council on Technology Assessment int Health Care, Stockholm, Sweden. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost of true-positive occlusal dentine caries detection in permanent molars assessed by: (I) visual-tactile examination, (II) visual-tactile examination combined with bitewing radiographs, and (III) selective radiographic examination of patients with lesions detected clinically. A second aim was to analyse the different strategies when the costs of the subsequent restorative care are considered. METHODS: A model analysis was applied owing to the lack of original articles. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated from a systematic review and included in vitro and in vivo studies of medium and high quality. The direct costs for examinations and restorative care were extracted from the costs of the Public Dental Service in Sweden (2006). RESULTS: The diagnostic costs per true-positive finding were dependent on the occurrence of occlusal caries and increased with decreasing prevalence. The strategy by which radiographs were exposed selectively on the basis of findings from visual-tactile examination resulted in higher initial costs compared with the first and second strategies. When the costs of the subsequent restorative care were added, the selective strategy was most beneficial by up to 26% savings per true-positive diagnosis. However, with this selective strategy, more cases of true-positive dentine caries were assumed would remain undetected as compared with the combined strategy with visual-tactile examination and radiographs for all. CONCLUSIONS: The cost for a true-positive caries diagnosis was inversely related to caries occurrence, and different diagnostic strategies may display contrasting outcomes when subsequent restorative care is taken into account

Pharmacological treatment of oro-facial pain : health technology assessment including a systematic review with network meta-analysis.

This health technology assessment evaluated the efficacy of pharmacological treatment in patients with oro-facial pain. Randomised controlled trials were included if they reported pharmacological treatment in patients ≥18 years with chronic (≥3 months) oro-facial pain. Patients were divided into subgroups: TMD-muscle [temporomandibular disorders (TMD) mainly associated with myalgia]; TMD-joint (TMD mainly associated with temporomandibular joint pain); and burning mouth syndrome (BMS). The primary outcome was pain intensity reduction after pharmacological treatment. The scientific quality of the evidence was rated according to GRADE. An electronic search in PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE from database inception to 1 March 2017 combined with a handsearch identified 1552 articles. After screening of abstracts, 178 articles were reviewed in full text and 57 studies met the inclusion criteria. After risk of bias assessment, 41 articles remained: 15 studies on 790 patients classified as TMD-joint, nine on 375 patients classified as TMD-muscle and 17 on 868 patients with BMS. Of these, eight studies on TMD-muscle, and five on BMS were included in separate network meta-analysis. The narrative synthesis suggests that NSAIDs as well as corticosteroid and hyaluronate injections are effective treatments for TMD-joint pain. The network meta-analysis showed that clonazepam and capsaicin reduced pain intensity in BMS, and the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine, for the TMD-muscle group. In conclusion, based on a limited number of studies, evidence provided with network meta-analysis showed that clonazepam and capsaicin are effective in treatment of BMS and that the muscle relaxant cyclobenzaprine has a positive treatment effect for TMD-muscle pain

Reimbursement systems influence prosthodontic treatment of adult patients

Objective. To evaluate the influence of reimbursement system and organizational structure on oral rehabilitation of adult patients with tooth loss. Materials and methods. Patient data were retrieved from the databases of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency. The data consisted of treatment records of patients aged 19 years and above claiming reimbursement for dental care from July 1, 2007 until June 30, 2009. Before July 1, 2008, a proportionately higher level of subsidy was available for dental care in patients 65 years and above, but thereafter the system was changed, so that the subsidy was the same, regardless of the patient's age. Prosthodontic treatment in patients 65 years and above was compared with that in younger patients before and after the change of the reimbursement system. Prosthodontic treatment carried out in the Public Dental Health Service and the private sector was also analyzed. Results. Data were retrieved for 722,842 adult patients, covering a total of 1,339,915 reimbursed treatment items. After the change of the reimbursement system, there was a decrease in the proportion of items in patients 65 years and above in relation to those under 65. Overall, there was a minimal change in the proportion of treatment items provided by the private sector compared to the public sector following the change of the reimbursement system. Conclusions. Irrespective of service provider, private or public, financial incentive such as the reimbursement system may influence the provision of prosthodontic treatment, in terms of volume of treatment

Framework for systematic identification of ethical aspects of healthcare technologies : the SBU approach

Objectives: Assessment of ethical aspects of a technology is an important component of health technology assessment (HTA). Nevertheless, how the implementation of ethical assessment in HTA is to be organized and adapted to specific regulatory and organizational settings remains unclear. The objective of this study is to present a framework for systematic identification of ethical aspects of health technologies. Furthermore, the process of developing and adapting the framework to a specific setting is described. Methods: The framework was developed based on an inventory of existing approaches to identification and assessment of ethical aspects in HTA. In addition, the framework was adapted to the Swedish legal and organizational healthcare context, to the role of the HTA agency and to the use of non-ethicists. The framework was reviewed by a group of ethicists working in the field as well as by a wider set of interested parties including industry, interest groups, and other potential users. Results: The framework consists of twelve items with sub-questions, short explanations, and a concluding overall summary. The items are organized into four different themes: the effects of the intervention on health, its compatibility with ethical norms, structural factors with ethical implications, and long term ethical consequences of using the intervention. Conclusions: In this study, a framework for identifying ethical aspects of health technologies is proposed. The general considerations and methodological approach to this venture will hopefully inspire and present important insights to organizations in other national contexts interested in making similar adaptations