Economic Evaluation of Community Water Fluoridation in an Upper-Middle-Income Country

Abstract

The aim was to estimate the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of CWF for schoolchildren according to different population sizes served in Brazil. The economic evaluation was conducted from a societal perspective. Total costs were estimated using four variables across different population sizes: capital cost of initial installation, chemical product costs, system operational costs, and monitoring costs. The effect of CWF was analyzed in the context of the widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste, based on studies with Brazilian population groups. The total cost of dental treatment was estimated, including both direct and indirect costs, with a discount rate of 3.5%. A one-way sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of the results based on measured parameter values. The costs averted due to CWF were US$174.40 and US$85.67 for children aged 5-8 and 3-12 years, respectively, and US$46.66 for those aged 7-12 years, according to the average effectiveness of CWF for each age group. The cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit ratio results were favorable in all scenarios where the population served was 6,000 or more inhabitants. Scenarios unfavorable to CWF were observed only in populations of up to 2,000 inhabitants. The economic evaluation of CWF in an upper-middle-income country proved to be a cost-effective oral health intervention and more economically advantageous, especially in larger areas for both deciduous and permanent dentition.