We conducted a questionnaire survey of dentists at 11 national university dental hospitals, to learn the influence of drug indications provided by health insurance for dental therapy.
The return rate of the questionnaires was 66.5% (523/786) . Approximately 42.1% of the dentists (220/523) had changed medical orders because the prescribed medicine was not covered by health insurance.
Specifically, 89.4% (110/123) of the dentists who were, specialized in oral maxillofacial surgery, had experienced such situations.
Therefore, 63.5% (332/523) of the dentists requested that drug indications be recognized, to expand dental therapy.
Reasons given for wanting expansion were selection of drug dosage form, therapeutic management of individuals patient, development of new therapy, and the like.
To promote expansion of drug indications provided by health insurance in dental therapy, it is important for all national university dental hospitals to work to carry out clinical trials positively, in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, under observance of new GCP.
