Individualizing recall intervals in child dental care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Dental Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Efficient resource allocation is crucial in public dental services.
• Individualized recall intervals for children have been recommended in Norway.
• Previous practices involved standardized recall schedules for pediatric dental care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of individualizing and extending recall intervals for children on dental health outcomes and resource utilization.
• To assess changes in clinical time spent by dental professionals.
• To determine the relationship between recall interval length and dental health status.

Main Methods:

• A natural experiment design was employed in Drammen, Norway, from 1990 to 1993.
• Data collected included clinical time, dental health status (decayed teeth), and recall interval length for children aged 3-18.
• Statistical analysis was used to compare outcomes before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• The mean recall interval for children increased from 12.5 to 13.7 months, reducing annual time spent per child by 14% (11% adjusted for fewer decayed teeth).
• Children with longer recall intervals (17-20 months) exhibited fewer decayed teeth and required less personnel time.
• For children without new decayed teeth, longer intervals correlated with reduced dental care time, though significant variation in outcomes persisted.

Conclusions:

• Individualizing and extending recall intervals can effectively target resources toward children with higher dental needs.
• Limited extensions did not negatively impact the long-term trend of improved child dental health and yielded substantial resource savings.
• Short-term dental health inequalities among children remained despite the changes in recall strategies.