Abstract
Introduction: Management of dentofacial discrepancies using orthognathic treatment is now a common procedure in the United Kingdom. Although the benefits of orthognathic intervention are often considered, the cost implications have not been investigated to our knowledge. This study is a cost-utility analysis of orthognathic treatment. Patients and methods: Twenty-one patients were interviewed five times during treatment using the time trade-off (TTO) method to establish utility values. Quality adjusted life years (QALYs) gained as a result of treatment were calculated and discounted. The resource use was calculated for each of the 21 patients individually and the costs subjected to both a sensitivity analysis and discounting. The incremental mean cost per additional QALY was calculated (as compared with a 'no treatment' approach). Results: The incremental cost for each additional QALY was pound561 for the groups combined, based on mean additional costs and QALYs (pound546 for the bimaxillary group and pound617 for the single jaw group). Discussion: Orthognathic treatment seems to provide good outcomes at relatively low cost. Even allowing for the uncertainty in mean costs and QALYs, there is a high probability of treatment being cost-effective. Cost-utility analysis is still a relatively new technique in dentistry and further studies should be encouraged. (C) 2003 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 32-35 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2003 |
Keywords
- OCCLUSAL FORCE
- SURGERY