title: Evaluating the health economic implications and cost-effectiveness of dental implants: a literature review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the available literature on the costs and cost-effectiveness of dental implant-supported or -retained prostheses versus tooth-supported fixed partial denture restorations or mucosa-borne conventional complete or partial dentures.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic literature review of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted, restricted to studies published in English between November 2000 and November 2010. The searches returned a total of 381 unique hits, and a total of 14 studies on the long-term costs or cost-effectiveness of dental implants were included in the final review. A true systemic review was complicated by the heterogeneity of the conducted studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For single-tooth replacement, dental implants were generally either cost saving or cost-effective in comparison with tooth replacement using traditional fixed dental prostheses. For patients with mandibular edentulism, dental implants were associated with higher initial costs in comparison with conventional mucosa-borne dentures. However, the consensus among most studies was that, over the long term, dental implants represent a cost-effective treatment option. Additionally, patient acceptance, satisfaction, and willingness to pay for dental implants were high, particularly in elderly edentulous patients. A trend toward improved overall health and decreased health care costs was also reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For single-tooth replacement, a single implant was a cost-effective treatment option in comparison with a traditional three-unit fixed dental prosthesis. For the replacement of multiple teeth, dental implants (fixed or removable prostheses) were associated with higher initial costs but better improvements in oral health-related quality of life compared with other treatment options.
authors.affiliation: RCV@att.net
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: Jayne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith-Palmer
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Valentine
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000191:economics; D019250:Dental Implants, Single-Tooth / Q000191:economics; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000191:economics*; D003828:Denture, Overlay / Q000191:economics*; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants