Resumo

FERREIRA, Christiane Alves  e  LOUREIRO, Carlos Alfredo. Cost-effectiveness ratio of public oral care in the perspective of service and society. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2010, vol.58, n.3, pp. 287-293. ISSN 1981-8637.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness ratios and the economic burden of oral care in the public health service from both the service and the society's perspective. METHOD: Longitudinal data were collected from 7.825 patients treated by 13 dentists and two hygienists during one year. The completed treatment was considered the outcome. All costs were included, such as overhead, capital and operational costs. Two cost components were taken into account: cost opportunity and depreciation. Furthermore, the refresh rate of the initial capital was calculated and a sensitivity analysis was done. RESULTS: From the perspective of service, the best cost-effectiveness ratios were for emergencies in all specialties ($10.99 to $12.98), followed by prevention, operative dentistry, endodontics and prosthesis. From the perspective of society, the best cost-effectiveness ratios were for emergencies in all specialties ($1.43 to $2.31), followed by endodontics, prevention, prosthesis and operative dentistry. CONCLUSION: Priority differs both from the perspective of service and of society. From the perspective of service, the costs for elective care, including prevention, were close to the costs seen in high-income countries. From the perspective of society, the cost-effectiveness ratios for prevention in a clinical setting were unfavorable to be recommended for low-income populations. The perspective of society is an essential approach for decision-makers who need to allocate their resources.

Palavras-chave : cost-effectiveness evaluation; fees and charges; oral health.