Cost-effectiveness of professional oral health care in Australian residential aged care facilities

Abstract

Objective: To conduct a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis, from a health care system perspective, of using oral health professionals to provide oral hygiene services at residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Victoria, Australia, compared to current practice (CP). Background: Increasingly dentate cohorts of older adults are entering RACFs, making urgent the need of further development and provision of oral health programmes in ageing dentitions. Materials and Methods: The model was based on 47 624 RACFs’ places in Victoria over one year. The main outcome measured was “cost per pneumonia case averted.” Four different scenarios of oral hygiene provision were compared to CP. Costs inc..