This proposal responds to PA-98-031 that called for research in the field of """"""""Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences"""""""". Specifically, the proposed study will test the feasibility and construct validity of two methods of measuring utility of dentin regeneration, tooth extraction, and root canal therapy (Healthy Time Equivalent [HTE] and Willingness to Pay [WTP]). The HTE and WTP methods will be used, in the proposed population-based study in Southeast Michigan (population of 4.5 million), to evaluate the potential impact that dentin regeneration, a new technology under development, may have on the oral health status of uninsured Americans and to test hypotheses to validate a model of determinants of utility and choice of dental treatments. This project will sample 461 adults without dental insurance and 415 adults with dental insurance. This sample was computed to provide 90 percent power for detecting differences in average HTE scores between insured and uninsured adults and between adults with low and high education status. The sample size will also be powerful for testing hypotheses to validate the model of determinants of utility (preferences) and choice that was developed for this project. Sampling will be carried out using a list-assisted random digit dialing. Adults who meet the eligibility criteria (age between 18 and 69 years and have at least one natural tooth) will be invited to participate in a home interview that will assess utilities using the standard gamble approach. Respondents will also be invited to answer a questionnaire that measures WTP, dental anxiety, toothache, quality of life and general health status, quality of oral health, previous dental experiences and satisfaction with dental care. The questionnaire will also ask for information on gender, race/ethnicity, income, employment and education status. Sampling and telephone interviewing will be conducted by the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Home interviews, assessment of utilities, and administering the personal questionnaire will be carried out by staff hired for the project and trained by ISR. This project is the first to test a model for adoption or choice of dental treatments. This new field of research will be needed in the 21st century where demands for cost containment and the rapid development of new technology and treatments will pressure health care providers and policy makers to choose among competing health outcomes. This project will validate two measures of utilities of dental treatments that could be applied to evaluate the potential outcomes of dental and non-dental interventions.
| Jacob, Shushan; Wu, Changshan; Freeman, Theresa A et al. (2007) Expression of Indian Hedgehog, BMP-4 and Noggin in craniosynostosis induced by fetal constraint. Ann Plast Surg 58:215-21 |
| Sohn, Woosung; Ismail, Amid I (2005) Regular dental visits and dental anxiety in an adult dentate population. J Am Dent Assoc 136:58-66; quiz 90-1 |
| Ismail, Amid I; Birch, Stephen; Sohn, Woosung et al. (2004) Utilities of dentin regeneration among insured and uninsured adults. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 32:55-66 |
| Birch, Stephen; Sohn, Woosung; Ismail, Amid I et al. (2004) Willingness to pay for dentin regeneration in a sample of dentate adults. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 32:210-6 |
