Document Type
Article
Original Publication Date
2016
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Health Affair
Volume
35
Issue
12
First Page
2233
Last Page
2240
DOI of Original Publication
10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0839
Date of Submission
March 2024
Abstract
Untreated cavities can have far-reaching negative consequences for people's ability to eat, speak, and learn. By adolescence, 27 percent of low-income children in the United States will have untreated cavities. School-based sealant programs typically provide dental sealants (a protective coating that adheres to the surface of molars) at little or no cost to students attending schools in areas with low socioeconomic status. These programs have been shown to increase the number of students receiving sealants and to prevent cavities. We analyzed the cost-effectiveness of school sealant programs using data (from school programs in fourteen states between 2013 and 2014) on children's cavity risk, including the effects of untreated cavities on a child's quality of life. We found that providing sealants in school programs to 1,000 children would prevent 485 fillings and 1.59 disability-adjusted life-years. School-based sealant programs saved society money and remained cost-effective across a wide range of reasonable values.
Rights
This work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
Is Part Of
VCU Oral Health Promotion and Community Outreach Publication
Comments
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Health Affairs. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Health affairs, 35(12), 2233-2240, https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0839