Key Points
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Economic evaluation of healthcare programmes is now common-place in medicine and is becoming increasingly important in dentistry.
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Increased research in the field of economic evaluation in conjunction with clinical trials is required in dentistry in both primary care and hospital settings.
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This paper reviews the various methods of economic evaluation and also gives examples of some of the current research in the field of dentistry.
Abstract
Economic evaluation is now an accepted method for the appraisal of healthcare programmes. Although it is used widely in medicine, its use in the field of dentistry is only just beginning to achieve popularity. Economic evaluation in dentistry is likely to become increasingly important in the future and this paper aims to introduce the basics of the technique as well as describing some of the dental settings in which it is currently being used.
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Cunningham, S. Economic evaluation of healthcare – is it important to us?. Br Dent J 188, 250–254 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800444
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800444
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