Orthodontic attitudes toward national health insurance

Data were obtained by surveying North Carolina orthodontists by means of a mailed questionnaire. Their responses were coded to make possible analysis by computer and were compared to responses from a national sample of dentists in the 1975 Survey of Dentists. Both North Carolina orthodontists and dentists nationwide agreed that some form of dental care should be provided if a national health insurance system were established. Compared to the dentists surveyed nationwide, the orthodontists favored a wider range of coverages but advocated providing a narrower scope of dental services. They indicated more strongly their general belief that a government health program would lead to regulation outside the private sector. The orthodontists disagreed more strongly with the claim that government health programs could provide more people with high-quality dental care. Both groups anticipated that comprehensive dental care in a national health insurance system would result in fixed fees set by the government. Only 62 percent of the orthodontists polled were familiar with HMOs. Of this group, nearly 90 percent chose not to contract with these organizations.