Dental implants are cost-effective treatment option

The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants (JOMI) recently published a review of 14 studies related to dental implants published from 2000 to 2010 found, compared with tooth replacement using traditional fixed dental prostheses, dental implants:

  • for single-tooth replacement, were either cost-saving or cost-effective,
  • for multiple teeth replacement, were a cost-effective treatment option over the long term and improved oral health,
  • had high patient acceptance, satisfaction, and willingness to pay

The JOMI published a new report concluding dental implants offer a more cost-effective and improved oral health-related quality of life solution compared to traditional tooth replacement treatments.

The report can be found on PubMed, the US National Library of Medicine at the National Institute of Health (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23527335). A systematic review of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted of all studies published in English between 2000 and 2010. In the review, a total of 14 studies on the long-term costs or cost-effectiveness of dental implants were included and resulted in the following findings:

For single-tooth replacement, dental implants were either cost-saving or cost-effective when compared to traditional tooth replacement options.

For patients with mandibular edentulism, dental implants were linked to higher initial costs compared to traditional dentures. However, most studies concluded that dental implants were a cost-effective treatment option over the long-term. Furthermore, implants resulted in high patient acceptance, satisfaction, and willingness to pay, especially in elderly edentulous patients. The report concluded a trend toward improved oral health-related quality of life and decreased health care costs.

For more information, refer to the article: Vogel R, Smith-Palmer J, Valentine W. Evaluating the Health Economic Implications and Cost-Effectiveness of Dental Implants: A Literature Review. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2013;28:343–356. doi: 10.11607/jomi.2921.

About Guided Surgery Solutions, LLC
Guided Surgery Solutions, LLC designs, manufactures, and sells 3D image-based surgical guides for dental implant surgery. The ThinLayer® Drill Guide System was developed in the founder’s clinical practice, in response to design limitations found in existing products. The solution makes guided surgery technically and economically feasible for all implant surgeons, allowing them to provide better treatment to more patients. Please visit www.guidedsurgerysolutions.com for more information.