Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Ontario.
In this paper a case is made for the use of principles and techniques of economic evaluation to aid the planning of oral health services. The reader is taken through a case study, which highlights not only the importance of economic principles but also the challenges involved in carrying out economic evaluations in dentistry. These challenges need to be faced if oral health services are to be planned in a way that is of maximum benefit to the community.