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The cost of dental trauma management: a one-year prospective study in children.

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Management of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) can be expensive and time-consuming, yet very few studies have addressed the cost of their management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the total cost and the number of visits required to treat dental injuries to permanent incisors in children and adolescents over a one-year period.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ninety-five children with at least one traumatic dental injury to their permanent incisors were enrolled and managed according to the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines. Injuries were grouped into complex (n=74) and non-complex injuries (n=21) and divided by the date of injury. Total cost was the sum of the direct (capital, staff, materials and laboratory fees) and indirect costs (travel, childcare and missed working hours). All data was collected prospectively through hospital records and questionnaires at each visit over one year. Data was analysed using a linear regression model for the cost and the number of visits. Logistic regression was used to analyse differences between complex and non-complex injuries (α=5%).


RESULTS
The mean total cost for complex and non-complex injuries was €1687.9 and €1350.8 respectively. The treatment of non-complex injuries was cheaper than for complex injuries (p=0.047). The cost of follow up visits 4 years after the injury was significantly lower when compared to the treatment during the first year (p=0.002). Travelling longer distances (>50km) for treatment increased the overall cost of the treatment. There was no difference in the number of visits required for complex (mean=5.6) and non-complex (mean=4.9) injuries, but there were significantly fewer visits required in year 4 onwards (p<0.001).


CONCLUSION
Complex injuries presented a higher treatment cost, but the number of visits required was the same when compared to non-complex injuries over the one year evaluation. Further research in this area is encouraged to add to the limited available data.