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Cost of providing a mobile dental service for dependent older people
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 2021.
-
Abstract
- BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Dental care provision in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is often a problem despite the high demand. LTCF residents would greatly benefit from a concept that provides an onsite dental care. A rational evaluation of the costs to render this service as well as the cost benefits is worth investigating. This study aimed to calculate the costs involved in providing a mobile dental clinic (MDC) service for LTCF residents in Zurich, Switzerland. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cost models for setting up, executing and maintaining an MDC unit were generated. The costs included personnel, equipment/material, maintenance and running costs. The treatment costs were calculated for the treatment in MDC, university-setting dental clinic (UC) and private practice (PP). Hypothetical cost estimates were generated for the return of the invested capital. Costs incurred for the institutions for accommodating the MDC visit were also calculated. RESULTS The set-up capital required to start a MDC in Switzerland (for 2020) was approximately around CHF 505'007.90 (Euros 466'576.80) and was around CHF 452'666.48 (Euros 418'218.56) when a dental care professional (DCP) substituted the dentist. The estimated cost savings for an LTCF resident in the MDC were CHF 205.60 (Euros 189.95) when compared to a UC and approximately CHF 226.34 (Euros 209.12) when compared to a PP. With the dentist, the return of the invested capital can be expected by 3 years while it would take around 6 years with the DCP, assuming that the maximum number of patients possible-to-treat are treated every year. The daily running costs for the LTCF for accommodating the MDC visit were approximately CHF 299.04 (Euros 276.28). CONCLUSIONS Delivery of oral health services for LTCF residents through the use of a MDC service seems to be an effective model for dependent elders with limited access to care. However, the costs of maintaining this service are high with similarly large start-up costs. Future development of this model by utilising dental care professionals may produce cost savings but with a more limited range of services offered.
- Subjects :
- Cost estimate
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Invested capital
610 Medicine & health
2717 Geriatrics and Gerontology
Unit (housing)
Limited access
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
11390 Klinik für Allgemein-, Behinderten- und Seniorenzahnmedizin
Humans
Medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
Dental Care
General Dentistry
Aged
Service (business)
biology
business.industry
Euros
Health Care Costs
030206 dentistry
biology.organism_classification
medicine.disease
3500 General Dentistry
Private practice
Medical emergency
Geriatrics and Gerontology
business
Older people
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....f60a95952369fd3fdf6e073a1729e3b1
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-211433