A critique of recent economic evaluations of community water fluoridation.
Int J Occup Environ Health
; 21(2): 91-120, 2015.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25471729
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Although community water fluoridation (CWF) results in a range of potential contaminant exposures, little attention has been given to many of the possible impacts. A central argument for CWF is its cost-effectiveness. The U.S. Government states that $1 spent on CWF saves $38 in dental treatment costs.OBJECTIVE:
To examine the reported cost-effectiveness of CWF.METHODS:
Methods and underlying data from the primary U.S. economic evaluation of CWF are analyzed and corrected calculations are described. Other recent economic evaluations are also examined.RESULTS:
Recent economic evaluations of CWF contain defective estimations of both costs and benefits. Incorrect handling of dental treatment costs and flawed estimates of effectiveness lead to overestimated benefits. The real-world costs to water treatment plants and communities are not reflected.CONCLUSIONS:
Minimal correction reduced the savings to $3 per person per year (PPPY) for a best-case scenario, but this savings is eliminated by the estimated cost of treating dental fluorosis.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Fluoretação
/
Assistência Odontológica
/
Análise Custo-Benefício
/
Cárie Dentária
Tipo de estudo:
Health_economic_evaluation
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Occup Environ Health
Assunto da revista:
MEDICINA OCUPACIONAL
/
SAUDE AMBIENTAL
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article