Cost-effectiveness analysis design for interventions to prevent children's oral disease

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Dental Public Health
• Health Economics

Background:

• The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) initiated a consortium in 2015 to address children's oral health disparities through randomized trials.
• A Coordinating Center provides essential support, including data management and analysis, for these trials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the economic analysis strategies employed in four randomized trials focused on improving preventive oral health care for children.
• To contextualize these strategies within current economic analysis methodologies.

Main Methods:

• A Cost Collaborative Working Group was formed to facilitate information sharing and coordinate economic analysis approaches across the four trials.
• Study teams utilized structured tables to document data sources for their economic analyses.
• Regular meetings were held to discuss progress, challenges, and analytic coordination.

Main Results:

• All trials will compute incremental cost-effectiveness ratios; two will also perform cost-utility analyses using proxy diseases.
• Economic analyses consider multiple perspectives and measure key process indicators like dental services provided.
• Costs related to training, implementation, personnel, services, supplies, and equipment are being measured. The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) assesses oral health-related quality of life.

Conclusions:

• Economic analysis was integrated into the planning stages of all four trials, aligning with best practices.
• This integration is crucial for ensuring data quality and enabling robust retrospective analysis.
• Findings from integrated economic analyses can inform clinical practice, policy decisions, and payer strategies for oral health interventions.