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Evaluation of oral health promotion in the workplace: the effects on dental care costs and frequency of dental visits.

UNLABELLED
An oral health promotion program has been conducted since 1989 at a shipyard in Japan.


AIMS
The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of oral health promotion in the workplace in terms of dental care costs and frequency of dental visits.


METHODS
This program consisted of orientation, an initial regimen, and group counseling. The initial regimen included an evaluation of each participant's oral health status, and instruction concerning oral hygiene, and prevention of oral disease. The participants were selected with each unit being a preexisting peer group. Eighty-seven participants were compared with 216 control subjects in terms of annual dental care costs and frequency of dental visits in four periods: the 1-year period before the program, the 1st year after the program, the 2nd year after, and the 3rd year after.


RESULTS
The annual mean dental care cost in the participant group for the year prior to the program was higher than that in the control group (21,317 vs. 17,116 yen). In the 1st year after the program, the difference increased (26,642 vs. 19,481 yen). In the 2nd and 3rd years after the program, dental care costs in the participant group were lower than those in the control group (2nd year: 18,305 vs. 22,841 yen, 3rd year: 16,911 vs. 21,920 yen).


CONCLUSIONS
It can be concluded that this oral health promotion program in the workplace contributed to saving of costs associated with dental care. The workplace can be regarded as a key area for implementation of an oral health care system to make good use of limited resources.