Our surveys report that 1 in 3 adults in the dental practice waiting room report they have had 3 or more fillings or crowns in the past 2 years. And we know from our controlled studies and the plethora of research which shows that the strongest predictor of having a cavity is having a recent cavity, these are the kinds of patients who will need more dental surgical care in the foreseeable future.

Which brings me to the unthinking structure of group dental insurance today. They are thoughtless because they assume:

• Dental decay is episodic, not chronic.
•  Co-payments and deductibles on major surgical care such as crowns and multi-service fillings will promote better oral hygiene.
• Conventional preventive care such as the regular recall and cleanings, are sufficiently effective for all members, even for the persistently sick.

Essentially, these measures under-insure the chronically sick and ignore the growing evidence that only by treating the infectious cause of oral diseases will the chronically sick migrate to better oral health.

Importantly, healthcare reforms in the US are starting to focus on the persistently sick. These reforms will reduce cost sharing for proven, high-value therapies targeted to patients with chronic conditions. Makes sense.

Let’s do the same in dental insurance and dental benefits.

For more information, please visit: http://partnersinprevention.ca/.

By: Ross Perry
Sourced: Partners In Prevention – http://partnersinprevention.ca/the-persistence-of-high-dental-spending/