Dental utilization and expenditure patterns: Variations by age and gender

Health administrators and others responsible for paying for dental services or a benefit program should be mindful of the group's demographics when budgeting. This study examined utilization and expenditure patterns of 9,504 individuals covered by an employer-sponsored dental benefit plan throughout 2010. This plan is unusual in that it covers retirees and spouses 65 and older. The dental benefits were relatively rich: 100% Class I, 85% Class II, 60% Class III; no deductible and an Annual Maximum of $1,500. The population was divided into eight cohorts: Male and Female; ages 20<35, 35<50, 50<65, 65 and older. The smallest cohort size was Health administrators, benefits managers, and others responsible for paying for dental 594 and the largest was 1,891. Of the 9,504 individuals eligible, 6,972 (73.3%) went to a dentist at least once during the year. For Males utilization varied from 65.5% to 74.5%; for Females, from 73.6% to 78.0%. Females sought dental care at a higher rate than males for every age group. Male and Female utilization was highest in the 50<65 cohorts. Annual billings by dentists varied considerably among dental patients (utilizers), increasing with age: for both Males ($508.70 for ages 20<35 to $890.67 for ages 65 and older) and Females ($477.80 for ages 20<35 to $891.32 for ages 65 and older). In all age groups the differences between annual dental expenditures by Male patients and Female patients were small. Variation among cohorts of benefits paid to plan participants was less than the variation of amounts billed by dentists.