Spending on dental services in the U.S. is showing modest but gradual increases, according to estimates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS; Health Affairs, January 2013, Vol. 32:1, pp. 87-99).
For the third year in a row, total health spending grew 3.9%, reaching $2.7 trillion in 2011, the CMS reported. The dental economy grew by 3% to $108.4 billion in 2011, up from $105.3 billion in 2010.
The dental share of the $307.7 billion that consumers spent out-of-pocket for all health services in 2011 was 14.7%, but that proportion has declined from a recession high of 15.5% in 2008, according to a story in the ADA News.
Out-of-pocket dental spending was $43.4 billion in 2010 and grew 4.1% to $45.1 billion in 2011, according to the CMS report.
CMS will issue a report on projected health expenditures through 2022 later this year.
