A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF COSTS FOR DENTAL SERVICES AND DENTISTS INCOMESIN THE UNITED-STATES AND NORWAY

The United States and Norway have approximately the same per capita Gr oss Domestic Product (GDP) and average personal income, but their per capita health spending patterns are quite different. In 1982, the US s pent 6.5% of its total health expenditures on dental services while No rway spent 5.4%. A higher percentage of Norwegian adults see a dentist annually as compared to US adults. In 1984, the mean net income of de ntists in private practice was $66940 in the US and $27 125 in Norway; this is respectively 5 and 1 3/4 times the average per capita income in those countries. The American publicly-employed dentist earned appr oximately two-thirds of what the American private practitioner made, w hile still earning approximately 50% more than his Norwegian counterpa rt. Some basic information concerning the ratios of dentists, speciali sts, and dental hygienists to the population is given. The relative pr oportion of women dentists in the two countries is contrasted. Finally , data on graduates from the dental schools, enrollment cuts, and esti mated dentist to population ratios by the year 2000 are described to c ompare future man-power that will be available to the two countries. S everal dissimilarities in the political and social systems are describ ed and discussed. It is emphasized that caution should be used when in terpreting and comparing data about countries with different dental de livery, political, and social systems.