Cost of Implementation and Maintenance of Dental Care in a Hospital Setting

Abstract

To analyze the costs of implementing and maintaining dental care in the hospital, a partial economic analysis was conducted to calculate the average costs for implementing and maintaining a dentist in the hospital. The average cost of implementation, the average monthly maintenance cost of the professional in the hospital setting, monthly maintenance of permanent equipment and instruments, and monthly cost of consumable materials were calculated. Sensitivity analysis varied the values by 20%. The average cost of implementing dental care in a hospital setting is R$32,327.97 (R$25,862.38 - R$38,793.56) considering the use of a dental chair, and R$28,762.53 (R$23,010.02 - R$34,515.04) considering the use of portable equipment. The monthly maintenance of the dentist in the hospital had an average value of R$10,528.11 (R$8,422.49 - R$12,633.73). The costs for maintaining dental care in a hospital setting are approximately one-third of the implementation cost. It would be necessary to treat 32 patients to ensure the service’s maintenance.