An analysis of dental service items and dental fees in registered dentists / 대한구강보건학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify a relationship between dental service items and fees among dental clinics; this is important when deciding capitation rates for a registered system. The status of oral health, use of dental service items, and amount of dental fees for community care children were compared according to the dental clinics with which they were registered. The dental fees were analyzed using the oral health risk assessment components to identify the relationship between them. METHODS: The study subjects comprised 182 children from 8 community children centers in J district, S city, Gyeonggi-do. The independent variables were the dental clinics and the dependent variables were oral health status (decayed, missing, filled teeth [DMFT] index or df index), dental service items (total number of visits and dental filling type), and dental fees (total fees, National Health Insurance [NHI] coverage, and NHI non-coverage). The variables displayed a nonparametric distribution and were hence analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. The nonparametrically distributed oral health risk assessment components were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The higher the DMFT index, the higher the number of dental clinic visits and number of children with dental fillings. There were differences in the number of dental fillings between clinics except for resin-based fillings; this gap was wider for amalgam and gold inlay fillings. The dental fees differed between clinics and was probably dependent on the whether the major dental service type was NHI-covered or non-covered. "Anterior caries or restorations" in children with caries and "plaque retaining factors" in children with periodontal disease experience/plaque displayed statistically significant differences for total fees and NHI non-covered fees, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The preference for specific service items leads to a difference in dental fees. It is essential to develop guidelines under a capitation agreement and practice them in order to achieve a successful registered dental system.