"Evaluating the effect of a subsidy freeze on dental health utilization in Newfoundland and Labrador"

Murphy, Laura Anne (2010) "Evaluating the effect of a subsidy freeze on dental health utilization in Newfoundland and Labrador". Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

In 1995, fees for dental services under the Dental Health Plan (DHP) in Newfoundland and Labrador were frozen. The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of the subsidy freeze on dental health utilization in children ages 12 and under from 1996 to 2005. Utilization was determined by measuring the durations between dental maintenance visits. In addition, the effect of persons per dentists, gender, socioeconomic status, fee differential, fee differential linked with socioeconomic status, Census Division (CD), age and year on durations were studied. -- Over the 10-year observation period, there were longer average durations between maintenance visits. The number of persons per dentist, socioeconomic status, fee differential linked with socioeconomic status, the age of the child, CD and year were statistically significantly associated with the length of time between maintenance visits. -- To evaluate the effect of longer durations on oral health, the proportion of maintenance visits ending in caries and/or emergency visits were measured across socioeconomic quintiles for each year of the observation period. The results showed no increase in the incidences of caries and a slight increase in incidences of emergency visits in the lower socioeconomic quintiles. -- The frozen subsidy did lead to a decline in utilization as subjects were waiting for longer durations between maintenance visits. However, in most cases longer durations did not result in adverse dental outcomes.

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