Abstract
The increased percentage of older people retaining their natural dentition was associated with a burden of poor oral health and increased service demands. This study analyses the dental service utilisation of the ageing population in Australia and develops a modelled cost design that estimates the dental expenditure required to cover dental services for the aged population. Using the Australian Census of Population and Housing, ageing population and socioeconomic data were mapped to geographic boundaries and integrated with dental service provision data to estimate a model for the utilisation of dental services. The estimated financial cost of dental services was calculated based on the mean fees as per the Australian Dental Association’s Dental Fees Survey. The utilisation of the services varied considerably across the states and also by type of service, with limited numbers using periodontic services. However, there was an increase in cost for replacement and restorative services (5020 million AUD), most evident in the socioeconomic deprivation areas. In addition, the average dental services utilisation cost increased noticeably in the lower socioeconomic deciles of all regions outside major cities. The geographic maldistribution of older people significantly affects the utilisation of dental services, especially among disadvantaged communities. A predicted cost model of 6385 million AUD would cover the oral health needs of older Australians.
Highlights
Along with the demographic trend of a rapidly ageing population, there is an increase in the number of older people who retain more teeth [1]
The number of annual dental visits received by people aged 65 and over in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Northern Territory (NT) (126,466, 40,862 respectively) and Tas (251,958) account for only up to 10% of total visits presented in other states (NSW and Vic with 3.1 and 2.4 million respectively) (Figure 1a)
The rank of dental services by expenditure in Australia parallels the number of visits in four primary service areas, oral surgery, endodontics, general and periodontics, with the lowest value amounted to periodontics as 0.1 and 10 million AUD in NT and New South Wales (NSW), respectively (Table 3)
Summary
Along with the demographic trend of a rapidly ageing population, there is an increase in the number of older people who retain more teeth [1]. This incurs an increased risk of periodontal diseases and tooth morbidity associated with high demands for dental services [2]. To the best of our knowledge, the literature lacks an analysis that estimates the expenditure on dental services for older people in Australia; an economic cost-effective explanatory model for the utilisation of dental services could guide policymakers to deploy financial strategies to meet the oral health needs of the ageing population. The aims of this study are to anlyse the dental service utilisation of the ageing population in Australia and develop a modelled cost design that estimates the dental expenditure required to cover dental services for the aged population
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