UK general population's willingness to pay for dental check-ups

Objectives: Choices about which dental treatments to provide in a publicly funded system should be guided by the value that the general population place on those treatments. The aim of this study was to estimate United Kingdom (UK) general population willingness to pay (WTP) for dental check-ups, and to investigate what factors influence WTP. Methods: WTP was elicited using a hypothetical question in an online survey. The sample consisted of 594 participants, nationally representative of the UK general population in terms of age and gender. Regression analysis was used to examine what factors are associated with WTP. Analyses were conducted including and excluding protest answers. Results: The mean WTP for a dental check-up is 31.32 pound for the full sample and 33.17 pound excluding protest answers. Respondents on higher incomes and those with higher university education had higher WTP. Respondents in Scotland were WTP less than respondents living in the rest of the UK which may be the result of NHS dental check-ups being free to patients in Scotland. Conclusion: The general UK population value dental check-ups. This study provides estimates of WTP for dental check-ups which can be used in Cost-Benefit Analyses.