Role of regular preventive dental visits in moderating lifestyle-related disease medical expenditures among employed adults
- 1Digital Strategy Department, Lion Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
- 2Human Resources Development Center, Lion Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
- 3Department of Advanced Preventive Medicine and Health Literacy, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate the impact of preventive dental visits (PDVs) over a 9-year follow-up period on cumulative medical expenditures (MEs) related to lifestyle-related diseases. To this end, the study included 1,891 full-time employees (1,478 males and 413 females), aged 19–57 years, of a manufacturing company in Japan over a 9-year period. This historical cohort study was conducted from 2015 to 2023. The year 2015 served as the baseline, with the subsequent 8 years (2016–2023) used for follow-up. Based on an 8-year dental check-up follow-up survey from 2016 to 2023, participants were classified into two groups, those who reported PDVs in ≥87.5% of the years they answered the survey (regular PDVs) and those who reported PDVs in <12.5% of those years (irregular PDVs). Using 2015 as the baseline, adjustments were made for sex, age, division, Community Periodontal Index, oral health literacy, number of outpatient visits, annual MEs, annual lifestyle-related diseases medical expenditures (LDMEs), lifestyle habits, and health risks. Cumulative LDMEs per capita from 2016 onwards were examined in each group classified as with or without regular PDVs. To adjust for confounding variables between the two groups, we performed a propensity score matching. Although no significant differences in the proportion of individuals incurring LDMEs between the groups with and without regular PDVs, the LDMEs per capita among those who incurred expenditures were significantly lower in the group with regular PDVs. In sensitivity analysis, the threshold for group classification was changed. Specifically, the analysis was conducted with participants who had PDVs in ≥50% vs. those who had PDVs in <50% yielded similar findings as those obtained in the main model. Our results suggest that regular PDVs are associated with moderating LDMEs. These findings may serve as a motivation for promoting preventive dentistry in both corporate and public health initiatives.
Related
- KNOWLEDGE OF METABOLIC SYNDROME, LIFESTYLE RISK BEHAVIOURS AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING KASOA POLYCLINIC, GHANA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.
- Work environment, symptom burden, and job satisfaction among employed cancer survivors: a national cross-sectional study
- Effects of an LLM-based intelligent adaptive teaching program on clinical risk perception among newly employed nurses: a quasi-experimental study
- Association between dental checkup frequency and longitudinal changes in total healthcare expenditures: a longitudinal cohort study
- Socioeconomic disparities in access to care and healthcare expenditures among U.S. adults: evidence from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2018–2022
BibTeX
@article{oyoshi2026role,
title = {{Role of regular preventive dental visits in moderating lifestyle-related disease medical expenditures among employed adults}},
author = {Wakana Oyoshi and Terumitsu Murakami and Hiraki Tsushima and Kazue Kawamoto and Akinori Igarashi and Shintaro Yamaoka and Hiroshi Fukuda},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358693},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358693},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Role of regular preventive dental visits in moderating lifestyle-related disease medical expenditures among employed adults
AU - Wakana Oyoshi
AU - Terumitsu Murakami
AU - Hiraki Tsushima
AU - Kazue Kawamoto
AU - Akinori Igarashi
AU - Shintaro Yamaoka
AU - Hiroshi Fukuda
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358693
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358693
AB - This study aimed to elucidate the impact of preventive dental visits (PDVs) over a 9-year follow-up period on cumulative medical expenditures (MEs) related to lifestyle-related diseases. To this end, the study included 1,891 full-time employees (1,478 males and 413 females), aged 19–57 years, of a manufacturing company in Japan over a 9-year period. This historical cohort study was conducted from 2015 to 2023. The year 2015 served as the baseline, with the subsequent 8 years (2016–2023) used for follow-up. Based on an 8-year dental check-up follow-up survey from 2016 to 2023, participants were classified into two groups, those who reported PDVs in ≥87.5% of the years they answered the survey (regular PDVs) and those who reported PDVs in <12.5% of those years (irregular PDVs). Using 2015 as the baseline, adjustments were made for sex, age, division, Community Periodontal Index, oral health literacy, number of outpatient visits, annual MEs, annual lifestyle-related diseases medical expenditures (LDMEs), lifestyle habits, and health risks. Cumulative LDMEs per capita from 2016 onwards were examined in each group classified as with or without regular PDVs. To adjust for confounding variables between the two groups, we performed a propensity score matching. Although no significant differences in the proportion of individuals incurring LDMEs between the groups with and without regular PDVs, the LDMEs per capita among those who incurred expenditures were significantly lower in the group with regular PDVs. In sensitivity analysis, the threshold for group classification was changed. Specifically, the analysis was conducted with participants who had PDVs in ≥50% vs. those who had PDVs in <50% yielded similar findings as those obtained in the main model. Our results suggest that regular PDVs are associated with moderating LDMEs. These findings may serve as a motivation for promoting preventive dentistry in both corporate and public health initiatives.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -