Abstract
Objectives:
Choices about which dental treatments to provide in a publicly funded system should be guided by the value that the general population place on those treatments. The aim of this study was to estimate United Kingdom (UK) general population Willingness To Pay (WTP) for dental check-ups, and to investigate what factors influence WTP.
Methods:
WTP was elicited using a hypothetical question in an online survey. The sample consisted of 594 participants, nationally representative of the UK general population in terms of age and gender. Regression analysis was used to examine what factors are associated with WTP. Analyses were conducted including and excluding protest answers.
Results:
The mean WTP for a dental check-up is £31.32 for the full sample and £33.17 excluding protest answers. Respondents on higher incomes and those with higher university education had higher WTP. Respondents in Scotland were WTP less than respondents living in the rest of the UK which may be the result of NHS dental check-ups being free to patients in Scotland.
Conclusion:
The general UK population value dental check-ups. This study provides estimates of WTP for dental check-ups which can be used in Cost-Benefit Analyses.
Choices about which dental treatments to provide in a publicly funded system should be guided by the value that the general population place on those treatments. The aim of this study was to estimate United Kingdom (UK) general population Willingness To Pay (WTP) for dental check-ups, and to investigate what factors influence WTP.
Methods:
WTP was elicited using a hypothetical question in an online survey. The sample consisted of 594 participants, nationally representative of the UK general population in terms of age and gender. Regression analysis was used to examine what factors are associated with WTP. Analyses were conducted including and excluding protest answers.
Results:
The mean WTP for a dental check-up is £31.32 for the full sample and £33.17 excluding protest answers. Respondents on higher incomes and those with higher university education had higher WTP. Respondents in Scotland were WTP less than respondents living in the rest of the UK which may be the result of NHS dental check-ups being free to patients in Scotland.
Conclusion:
The general UK population value dental check-ups. This study provides estimates of WTP for dental check-ups which can be used in Cost-Benefit Analyses.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 181-186 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 30 Sept 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 30 Sept 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding statementThe project was funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (project number: 06/35/99). The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Health or the funders that provide institutional support for the authors of this report. The Health Economics Research Unit at the University of Aberdeen are funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the respondents to our survey who took the time to share their opinions and preferences with us. We are grateful to all members of the INTERVAL study team who provided input, advice, and comments on draft versions of the survey
Data Availability Statement
Data availability statementThe data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request
Keywords
- Economics
- Dental
- surveys and questionnaires
- Program Evaluation
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Humans
- Scotland
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- United Kingdom