Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020

Background: /purposeSince 1995, Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) has offered a comprehensive dental coverage to over 99 % of the population. This study mainly analyzed the dental service utilization and expenditure trends by the gender, age, and service type and evaluated the resource a...

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Main Authors: Ting-Chen Chen, Wen-Chi Liu, Shih-Jung Cheng, Shih-Pi Lin, Wender Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Dental Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S199179022400374X
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author Ting-Chen Chen
Wen-Chi Liu
Shih-Jung Cheng
Shih-Pi Lin
Wender Lin
author_facet Ting-Chen Chen
Wen-Chi Liu
Shih-Jung Cheng
Shih-Pi Lin
Wender Lin
author_sort Ting-Chen Chen
collection DOAJ
description Background: /purposeSince 1995, Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) has offered a comprehensive dental coverage to over 99 % of the population. This study mainly analyzed the dental service utilization and expenditure trends by the gender, age, and service type and evaluated the resource allocation across different demographics from 2000 to 2020. Materials and methods: Nationwide NHI administrative data were used to assess the dental visit rates, average visits per user, and per capita expenditure by the gender, age, and 11 service categories for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The analysis accounted for the fluctuations in the point value within the global budget system and calculated the dental expenditure across the demographic groups and service types. Results: The dental visit rates increased across all demographics, with the most substantial growth in the 0–14 age group (37.0 % in 2000 to 66.9 % in 2020). However, the visit rates for the older adults remained low at 39.5 % in 2020. Although the per capita expenditure rose significantly, the disparities persisted, with lower spending for the 65+ age group (58.5 USD) compared to the children (64.6 USD) in 2020. Operative dentistry and endodontic treatment expenditures showed declines in spending share, while preventive care and periodontal treatment expenditures increased. Conclusion: While Taiwan has made progress in increasing the dental utilization, especially for the children, challenges remain in improving access for the older adults. Policy adjustments are needed to enhance the dental care according to the diverse oral health needs of the different age groups.
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spelling doaj-art-d24c657eaca947e18c55ea78d14b00a02024-12-18T08:48:04ZengElsevierJournal of Dental Sciences1991-79022024-12-0119S164S170Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020Ting-Chen Chen0Wen-Chi Liu1Shih-Jung Cheng2Shih-Pi Lin3Wender Lin4Department of Oral Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taipei, TaiwanTelemedicine Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, TaiwanGraduate Institute of Oral Biology, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, TaiwanInstitute of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, TaiwanDepartment of Health Care Administration, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Department of Health Care Administration, Chang Jung Christian University, No. 1, Changda Road, Gueiren District, Tainan 711301, Taiwan.Background: /purposeSince 1995, Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) has offered a comprehensive dental coverage to over 99 % of the population. This study mainly analyzed the dental service utilization and expenditure trends by the gender, age, and service type and evaluated the resource allocation across different demographics from 2000 to 2020. Materials and methods: Nationwide NHI administrative data were used to assess the dental visit rates, average visits per user, and per capita expenditure by the gender, age, and 11 service categories for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. The analysis accounted for the fluctuations in the point value within the global budget system and calculated the dental expenditure across the demographic groups and service types. Results: The dental visit rates increased across all demographics, with the most substantial growth in the 0–14 age group (37.0 % in 2000 to 66.9 % in 2020). However, the visit rates for the older adults remained low at 39.5 % in 2020. Although the per capita expenditure rose significantly, the disparities persisted, with lower spending for the 65+ age group (58.5 USD) compared to the children (64.6 USD) in 2020. Operative dentistry and endodontic treatment expenditures showed declines in spending share, while preventive care and periodontal treatment expenditures increased. Conclusion: While Taiwan has made progress in increasing the dental utilization, especially for the children, challenges remain in improving access for the older adults. Policy adjustments are needed to enhance the dental care according to the diverse oral health needs of the different age groups.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S199179022400374XDental service utilizationExpenditure trendsNational health insurance (NHI)Resource allocationAge-related disparitiesTaiwan
spellingShingle Ting-Chen Chen
Wen-Chi Liu
Shih-Jung Cheng
Shih-Pi Lin
Wender Lin
Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020
Journal of Dental Sciences
Dental service utilization
Expenditure trends
National health insurance (NHI)
Resource allocation
Age-related disparities
Taiwan
title Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020
title_full Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020
title_fullStr Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020
title_full_unstemmed Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020
title_short Trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in Taiwan from 2000 to 2020
title_sort trends of dental service utilization and expenditure in taiwan from 2000 to 2020
topic Dental service utilization
Expenditure trends
National health insurance (NHI)
Resource allocation
Age-related disparities
Taiwan
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S199179022400374X
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AT shihjungcheng trendsofdentalserviceutilizationandexpenditureintaiwanfrom2000to2020
AT shihpilin trendsofdentalserviceutilizationandexpenditureintaiwanfrom2000to2020
AT wenderlin trendsofdentalserviceutilizationandexpenditureintaiwanfrom2000to2020