Abstract
The Balearic Islands Government Decree 87/2005, of 29 July, gave the right to free dental care to people aged 6 to 15 years residing in the Balearic Islands. This gives the population prevention and treatment of oral diseases in order to reduce differences of the population through care and maintenance of oral health. Care is provided through a large list of dentists, to ensure access and acceptability. This study aimed to evaluate the data from 11 annual reports of the Programa de Atencion Dental Infantil (Children’s dental care program) PADI, in the Balearic Islands public health service IbSalut. PADI uses the public healthcare network and private dentists through capitation payments. PADI is in eight Autonomous Regions in Spain: Andalusia, Aragon, the Balearic Islands, Extremadura, Murcia, Navarra and the Basque Country.
Method: By 2015 development of PADI had taken 11 years and for the first time 16-year-olds had completed the program. Analysis of activity and economic data from 11 PADI annual reports was undertaken. Monthly data is reported by dentists using excel files sent to the PADI Office, Ibsalut.
Results: A total of 160 dentists are in PADI. Population coverage has stabilized around 33% with a peak in 2011 of almost 37% of the population. The care provided by dentists is adequate, with a predominance of preventive activities. Children in the units of oral health in primary care have required a larger number of extractions and pulp treatments, reflecting the use of this public network by children with greater medical and social complexity. In 2015 private dentists saw 73%, of children, with a total of 27,829 (out of a population of 114,007 children between 6 and 15 years old). This cost €1,306,084, of which €1,279,766 was made in capitation payments: €46 / child, and €26,318 for special treatments. In 2015 this represented 0.1% of Balearic Health Service expenditure.
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