title: A review of assessments of inappropriate payments in the DTSS.
abstract: A recent report, produced for the Department of Health and Children, suggested that inappropriate payments in the Dental Treatment Services Scheme may be above 10%.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To review past publications on the topic of inappropriate payments in the DTSS and compare their conclusions and methodologies to that of the recent report.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search (including grey literature) was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two studies and three reports were identified as fulfilling the search criteria. The conclusions and methodologies were assessed and compared to the recent report.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are a number of contrasts between the recent report and previous research. These include: (a) unlike previous research, the recent report does not describe the methodology used to arrive at its estimate; and, (b) the estimate made by the recent report is larger, by a factor of more than two, compared to the sole other estimate made in the previous literature.
authors.affiliation: Cork Dental Care, 6 Mount Verdon Terrace, Wellington Road, Cork. lmnoslynch@eircom.net
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lynch
mesh_terms: D005250:Fees, Dental; D005607:Fraud; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000191:economics*; D007494:Ireland