Cost Consequence Analysis of Non‐Surgical Treatment Approaches for Patients With Periodontitis
Anna Liss, Max Petzold, Cristiano Tomasi, Kajsa H. Abrahamsson, Maria WelanderABSTRACT
Aim
To analyse and compare cost consequences of two evidence‐based non‐surgical periodontal treatment protocols performed by dental hygienists (DHs) in general practice.
Materials and Methods
Six‐hundred and fifteen patients were included. Treatment approaches compared were (i) conventional non‐surgical therapy (CNST), often performed at multiple sessions, and (ii) a ‘full‐mouth’ concept called guided periodontal infection control (GPIC), with initial focus on patient education followed by one session of ultrasonic instrumentation. A cost consequence analysis was conducted regarding the two approaches, including treatment costs, travelling costs and productivity costs, as well as non‐monetary consequences (closed pockets and bleeding on probing). In data analysis, the 95% confidence intervals were obtained using the percentile method based on 5000 bootstrap replications.
Results
Treatment costs were higher for CNST compared to GPIC by €60 (€359.5 [95% CI: 345.5–374.2] vs. €299.4 [95% CI: 289.3–309.1]). Productivity costs related to treatment were also greater in CNST by +€15. Travel costs showed minor differences (+€1 for CNST). Non‐monetary outcomes showed no significant differences between groups.
Conclusion
CNST was more costly than GPIC while maintaining comparable clinical outcomes at 6 months. When designing policy and practice for non‐surgical treatment approaches, both evidence‐based practice and how shared resources are best used should be acknowledged.