Estimating Lifetime Dental Care Expenditure in South Korea: An Abridged Life Table Approach

Minsung Sohn, Xianhua Che, Sungwon Lim and Hee-Jung Park
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Minsung Sohn: Department of Health and Care Administration, The Cyber University of Korea, 106 Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03051, Korea
Xianhua Che: Department of Health Policy Research, Daejeon Public Health Policy Institute, 282 Munhwa-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon 35015, Korea
Sungwon Lim: School of Nursing, University of Washington, Health Sciences Building, Room T-507, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Hee-Jung Park: Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Science, Kangwon National University, 346 Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do 25945, Korea

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-11

Abstract: The aim of this study was to measure the magnitude and distribution of a Korean’s lifetime dental expenses depending on age and sex, by constructing a hypothetical lifetime and life table of survival. Additionally, we estimated the difference in life expectancy between men and women and its impact on dental expenses. We used the 2015 Korea Health Panel Survey to calculate the total dental expenditure, including expenses paid directly by patients and those paid by insurers. We generated survival profiles to simulate dental expenses during a typical lifetime (from birth to age 95) using the abridged life table (five-year intervals for age groups) in 2015 from the South Korean Statistical Information Service. We independently calculated the remaining dental expenses for survivors of all ages. The results showed that an estimate of average lifetime dental expenditure was $31,851 per capita: $31,587 for men and $32,318 for women. Nearly 33% of the average per capita lifetime dental expenditure was attributable to the longer life expectancy of women, with no statistically significant difference in lifetime dental expenditure between men and women. Many survivors incurred 70% of their lifetime dental expenses before age 65. The results highlighted the need for policymakers to address spending on age-specific dental care owing to extended life expectancy, given the disproportionate share of healthcare resources supporting the elderly.

Keywords: aging; dental expenditure; life table; life expectancy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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