[Utilisation of dental check-ups in Germany-prevalence and trends based on routine statutory health insurance data].

Abstract

Introduction: Dental check-ups contribute significantly to reducing the burden of oral disease. This article examines for the first time in Germany the utilisation of dental check-ups by adults aged 20 years and older based on routine data.

Methods: The analyses were based on the outpatient dental claims data in accordance with BEMA (Uniform Assessment Scale for Dental Services) of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists. A dental check-up was assumed to have been performed if at least one billing of BEMA 01, 151, 152, 153, 154 or 155 was documented in a calendar year. The utilisation was estimated as a proportion of all persons with statutory health insurance according to the KM6 statistics for the years 2015 to 2024, stratified by sex, age and region in a cross-sectional study design.

Results: The rate of utilisation of dental check-ups remained relatively constant at around 64% until 2019, with a decline in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 (62.1%) and a gradual increase in the subsequent years to the initial level in 2024. Compared to the overall rate, men, young and early middle-aged adults, the very old and people in western Germany had a lower utilisation rate. Over time, the east-west differences in the utilisation rate in Germany have decreased.

Discussion: More than one in three persons did not have a dental check-up in 2024. The results therefore highlight the need for preventive measures. For Germany, there had previously been no analyses of the utilisation of dental check-ups based on routine data. This article therefore fills a research gap.