Patient charges and the demand for dental care in Scotland, 1962-81.

Dental care is unusual within the UK's National Health Service (NHS) since few other services carry a money cost to consumers at the point of consumption. Despite the importance and well-established nature of dental charges, evidence about their effects on patients' and dentists' behaviour is limited, and has been the subject of much controversy.[1] In this paper their effects on dental care demand and utilization in Scotland are examined using time-series data for 1962-81. v
These maximum charges remained essentially the same until the late 1960s, but have frequently been raised since. The charging system, too, continued without substantial modifications until 1985.' Two temporary changes did, however, occur. From April 1971 to January 1976 the system was changed from one in which non-exempt patients paid the full cost of care subject to separate maximum charges for routine and specialist treatment, to one in which they paid half of the cost of care subject to one overall maximum charge. From October 1974 to January 1976 charges for all treatment items were frozen, resulting in a drop in the real average cost to patients of care.
At present, some patients are exempt from all charges: those under the age of 16, or under 19 and in full-time education, expectant and nursing mothers, and those on low incomes. Sixteen to eighteen year olds not in full-time education are exempt from all but the cost of dentures. Some services are free to all: six-monthly examinations (four-monthly for those under the age of 21 and expectant and nursing mothers), denture repairs and arrest of post-extraction bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]