ObjectiveDental implants are a considerable financial burden for elderly people and their caregivers. This study aimed to calculate the estimated economic costs of dental implants on the Korean older population.Materials and MethodsThe economic costs of dental implants for adults aged 75 years and older were estimated from a societal perspective, considering both direct and indirect expenditures. We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service for the period 2015–2018 to estimate the medical costs. Noninsured medical costs were estimated from research on medical expenses by the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Indirect costs related to transportation fees and time loss were obtained. The Cochran Armitage trend test was performed to examine the trend of the economic burden of dental implants.ResultsThe estimated economic costs showed from 2015 to 2018 (total costs: $26.54–55.66 million, total costs after discount: $17.11–39.56 million). Direct costs, including insured and noninsured medical costs, represented from $25.81 to $47.03 million. Indirect costs, including transportation and time costs, ranged from $0.73 to $1.63 million. The impact of the total dental implant costs was 0.0018%–0.0034% of the Korean annual gross domestic product and 1.03%–1.59% of the annual total costs of dental care benefits.ConclusionsThe estimated economic burden of dental implants significantly increased from 2015 to 2018 in older South Korean adults. These results will provide a foundation and guidance for further health economic studies on the burden of dental implants in the elderly population.

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2015-2018 年韩国老年人种植牙的经济成本估计


目的种植牙是老年人及其护理人员相当大的经济负担。本研究旨在计算韩国老年人口种植牙的估计经济成本。材料和方法从社会角度估计 75 岁及以上成年人种植牙的经济成本，同时考虑直接和间接支出。我们使用了韩国国民健康保险局 2015-2018 年期间的数据来估算医疗费用。非保险医疗费用是根据国家健康保险审查和评估服务对医疗费用的研究估算的。获得了与运输费和时间损失相关的间接成本。进行 Cochran Armitage 趋势检验以检查种植牙经济负担的趋势。结果显示了 2015 年至 2018 年的估计经济成本（总成本：26.54-5566 万美元，折扣后的总成本：17.11-3956 万美元）。直接成本，包括有保险和非有保险的医疗费用，从 25.81 美元到 4703 万美元不等。间接成本（包括运输和时间成本）从 0.73 USD 到 163 万美元不等。种植牙总成本的影响为韩国年度国内生产总值的 0.0018%-0.0034%，占牙科护理福利年度总成本的 1.03%-1.59%。结论从 2015 年到 2018 年，韩国老年人种植牙的经济负担估计显著增加。这些结果将为进一步开展老年人口种植牙负担的健康经济学研究提供基础和指导。