title: Pricing dental services: a market testing approach.
abstract: Evidence from the economics literature is examined with reference to whether prices of dental services tend to equal or exceed production costs, and whether dentists may be characterized as price-takers or price-setters. Ability to generalize from the methods and conceptualization of costs is important in evaluating the evidence. Dentists appear to act as price-takers, but market prices remain greater than production costs. Conditions sufficient to produce a fully competitive result are apparently lacking in the dental services market.
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D005250:Fees, Dental; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical