TITLE:
Economic Analysis of Willingness to Pay for Dental Procedures and Associated Factors
AUTHORS:
Deborah Ellen Wanderley Gomes Freire, Elza Cristina Farias de Araújo, Aldelany Ramalho Freire, Rennis Oliveira da Silva, Maria Letícia Barbosa Raymundo, Edson Hilan Gomes de Lucena, Yuri Wanderley Cavalcanti
KEYWORDS:
Health Care Economics and Organizations, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Oral Health, Dentistry
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Service Science and Management,
Vol.18 No.1,
February
17,
2025
ABSTRACT: Objective: To evaluate the willingness to pay (WTP) for basic dental procedures according to sociodemographic variables of individuals from the Brazilian population. Methods: A quantitative and analytical study was conducted, using a cross-sectional observational design, to examine the willingness to pay (WTP) for dental procedures. A total of 280 individuals participated in this study through digital forms on the Google Workspace platform (Google Forms). Socioeconomic data, oral disease burden, oral health complaints, and willingness to pay for dental procedures were collected. Multiple regressions were generated between the independent variables and the WTP for dental procedures, considering a significance level of p Results: Socioeconomic factors and level of involvement in Dentistry were the variables associated with higher willingness to pay (WTP) for basic dental procedures. Compared to individuals with an income of 5 or more minimum wages (MW), those with lower income (up to 2 MW) exhibited lower WTP for routine check-ups (RP = 0.732, p p p p p p p Conclusion: Income and involvement in Dentistry were the factors that influenced the preference and valuation of dental procedures. Understanding the factors that influence valuation and preferences in health can assist managers and policymakers in emphasizing the importance of basic or routine oral health care.