Dental Health Articles
Treatment Saves Money
Posted on October 29th, 2011
International Association of Dental Research (IADR) 89th General Session and Exhibition
March 25, 2011 (San Diego, California) — Patients with diabetes cost insurance companies $2484 more per year if they don't receive routine dental care and get immediate treatment for periodontitis, according to researchers here at the International Association of Dental Research 89th General Session and Exhibition.
"There was a significant difference between those who maintained good oral health and those who didn't," Nipul Tanna, DMD, from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, told Medscape Medical News.
Many other studies have shown a connection between diabetes and periodontal disease, with each condition exacerbating the other. One reason is that blood glucose binds to lipids, said Dr. Tanna.
But few researchers have examined the economic aspects of the relationship. "We wanted to see what we could find if we merged the dental and medical databases," Dr. Tanna said.
For this study, Dr. Tanna, along with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania, CIGNA Dental, and the State University of New York, Buffalo, examined 3449 patients enrolled in CIGNA's medical and dental plans from 2006 to 2008.
The patients ranged in age from 18 to 62 years. The researchers divided the subjects into 2 groups: 1355 patients who had periodontal disease at baseline were treated in the first year and continued to get treatment after that; and 2094 patients received periodontal therapy prior to baseline and did not get regular maintenance during the study.
The researchers calculated that the mean cost for diabetes medical care in all these patients was $9,697.40 in 2008. The patients who got regular periodontal care had medical costs totaling $8,189.58 in 2006, whereas those who didn't get regular care had costs of $10,672.09. The difference was statistically significant (P = .021).
The difference did not vary with patient age, but it was strikingly different between sexes. Men saved the insurer $3212.36 in 2008 per patient if they got regular periodontal care (P < .03); women only saved the insurer $735.27 per patient per year (P < .05).
The database didn't include enough data to figure out exactly how the periodontal care was producing the savings, Dr. Tanna noted.
Asked to comment, Bernadette Pretzl, DDS, PhD, professor at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, toldMedscape Medical News that the study is important because it drew its results from such a large database.
Overall, the findings confirmed what was expected about periodontal treatment for diabetes, she said. But the distinction between the sexes was striking. "There has been a hint of that in the data before, but it's kind of surprising that the difference is so large," she said.
She speculated that women may take better care of their health, so that getting professional periodontal care has a more modest effect for them than it does for men.
CIGNA has not announced any plans to change to its reimbursement schedules on the basis of these results, said Dr. Tanna.
But, he added, dentists can act on the information. "This tells us we need to promote more preventive treatment," he said. "If dentists give patients some reinforcement in terms of diet and exercise and overall health, it ends up a cost savings for everyone. And most important, the patients' health is better."
Dr. Tanna and Dr. Pretzl have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
International Association of Dental Research (IADR) 89th General Session and Exhibition: Abstract 892. Presented March 17, 2011
Links to view this article more:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/739665
http://worldental.org/dental-news/study-shows-treating-gum-disease-diabetics-brings-huge-annual-savings/4092/
http://blogs.courant.com/connecticut_insurance/2011/03/treating-gum-disease-reduces-m.html
