Assessment of the efficiency of dental services in Turkey

Abstract

AimThe present study aimed to measure the efficiency of dental services at the provincial level in Turkey and to identify the potential areas of improvement. MethodsThe study population comprised hospitals and centers providing dental services under the Ministry of Health, located in 81 provinces of Turkey. All hospitals, oral and dental centers under the Ministry of Health were included in the study. The number of units and dentists were considered as input variables, while the number of polyclinics, tooth extractions, root canal treatments, dental fillings, dental surgeries, prosthesis fittings, fissure sealant procedures and local flor procedures were considered as output variables. The efficiency of oral and dental centers was evaluated using the Data Envelopment Analysis method. ResultsWhile the CCR method showed that 18 of the 81 provinces were efficient and 63 provinces were inefficient, the BCC method showed that 32 provinces were efficient and 49 were inefficient. According to the scale efficiency scores, 32 provinces were found as efficient and 49 provinces as inefficient. Statistically significant differences were found between the efficient and inefficient provinces, in terms of the input and output variables (p < 0.05). ConclusionThe present results are expected to provide important clues to policy makers for planning oral health services.