Economic evaluation of community programs for the prevention of dental caries in Catalonia, Spain.
The purpose of the present study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of three alternative community programs to prevent dental caries among Catalonia's schoolchildren. The programs were: fluoridation of the public water supply, fort-nightly 0.2% NaF mouthrinses administered in schools, and supervised toothbrushing with a fluoride toothpaste in schools. Caries prevalence data for Catalan children are given and the methodology for the study is described. The estimated cost of saving 1 DMFS with each program was: 53.40 Pts (US$ 0.39) with fluoridation of the water supply; 305.20 Pts (US$ 2.26) with fluoride mouthrinses; and 1498 Pts (US$ 11.09) with supervised toothbrushing. The feasibility of the programs in Catalonia and their educational values for the target population are considered.
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005457:Fluoridation / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D011636:Public Health Dentistry / Q000191:economics*; D012571:School Dentistry / Q000191:economics*; D013030:Spain; D014099:Toothbrushing