Economic Evaluation in Periodontal Healthcare

Economic evaluation in periodontal healthcare examines the value of interventions to prevent, manage and treat periodontal disease by comparing costs and health outcomes. Key approaches include cost-effectiveness analysis, which relates the costs of an intervention to a natural unit of health gain such as teeth saved or disease cases averted, and cost-utility analysis, which expresses outcomes in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Cost-of-illness studies estimate the overall economic burden by combining prevalence data with treatment costs, capturing both direct expenditures (such as clinical procedures and materials) and indirect costs (including lost productivity and patient travel). Willingness-to-pay methods gauge patients’ or the public’s valuation of services or health gains, informing price setting and subsidy policies. Across high-, middle- and low-income settings, economic evaluations guide resource allocation, identify cost-drivers (for example disease severity and treatment intensity), and support preventive strategies that may offer better long-term value than surgical or reconstructive care alone. By quantifying both financial and health outcomes, these analyses underpin policy decisions, insurance coverage, clinical guidelines and service design, promoting equitable access and sustainable periodontal care.

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Economic Evaluation in Periodontal Healthcare publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in economic evaluation in periodontal healthcare across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Cost-effectiveness analysis: Evaluation that compares costs to a specific health outcome (e.g. teeth saved).

Cost-utility analysis: Evaluation that compares costs to outcomes measured in QALYs, incorporating both quality and quantity of life.

Cost-of-illness study: Assessment of the total economic burden of a disease, including direct and indirect costs.

Willingness-to-pay (WTP): Maximum amount individuals are prepared to pay for a health service or outcome, reflecting perceived value.

Quality-adjusted life year (QALY): Measure combining length and quality of life into a single index for use in cost-utility analyses.

Direct costs: Expenditures directly related to treatment (e.g. clinical procedures, materials).

Indirect costs: Economic losses not tied to treatment delivery (e.g. lost work productivity, travel expenses).

References

1. National Economic Burden Associated with Management of Periodontitis in Malaysia. International Journal of Dentistry (2016).
2. Cost analysis of Periodontitis management in public sector specialist dental clinics. BMC Oral Health (2014).
3. Smoking Cessation therapy is a cost-effective intervention to avoid tooth loss in Brazilian subjects with periodontitis: an economic evaluation. BMC Oral Health (2021).