Dental expenditures by selected dentist and practice characteristics

Area of Science:

• Dental Economics
• Health Services Research
• Public Health

Background:

• National dental expenditures are a key indicator of healthcare spending.
• Previous estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) provide benchmarks for dental spending.
• Understanding the reliability of these estimates is crucial for policy and planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate total national dental expenditures for 1995.
• To validate the American Dental Association's (ADA) estimation methods.
• To explore the potential for analyzing dental spending by practice characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized gross billings data from the annual ADA "Survey of Dental Practice."
• Calculated total national dental expenditures for 1995.
• Compared the ADA's estimate with figures from BEA and HCFA.

Main Results:

• The ADA's estimated total national dental expenditures for 1995 were approximately $45.5 billion.
• This estimate falls between the BEA's $47.6 billion and HCFA's $44.7 billion estimates.
• The convergence of these estimates supports the reliability and validity of the ADA's data.

Conclusions:

• The ADA's "Survey of Dental Practice" provides a reliable estimate of national dental expenditures.
• The methodology used by the ADA is validated by its consistency with other major economic and healthcare reporting agencies.
• These expenditure data can be further analyzed by practice characteristics, offering insights into dental care delivery.