Dental Spending Slightly Up

After being flat for several years, dental spending increased in 2016 for the second year in a row, according to the ADA Health Policy Institute’s report, U.S. Dental Expenditures 2017 Update. Specifically, the spending increase comes from programs covered by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as there was relatively little change in out-of-pocket and private insurance spending. 

National dental expenditures were $124 billion in 2016, a 3.3% increase over 2015, after adjusting for inflation; average annual dental spending per person increased to $384 from $375 in 2015. Forty-six percent of the $124 billion comes from private insurance; another 40% comes out of patients’ pockets.

Source: ada.org