Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Dental Insurance among Dental Practitioners in Navi Mumbai, India

Aim: The aim is to assess the knowledge and practice of dental insurance in routine dental practice among dental practitioners in Navi Mumbai. Methodology: The survey was conducted on 320 subjects via a Google Form, which was used as a medium for presenting the 14-item self-administered questionnaire to the dentists with a minimum of 3 years of practice in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. Descriptive statistical analyses were carried out in the present study. The confidence interval and level of significance were set at 95% and P ≤ 0.05, respectively. Results: About 53% of practitioners are of the opinion that most of the patients are oblivious to various existing dental insurance policies. About 96% agreed that there is a need to increase awareness among them; 98% were of the opinion that increasing awareness in turn would improve the overall status of their dentition. 48% of the practitioners seem to be not very knowledgeable about the current insurance schemes, and 44% of them have offered an uncolored opinion regarding the feasibility of the same in the Indian markets. A majority of 88% of the respondents feel that dental insurance and collaboration between clinics and insurance companies will prove to be beneficial to them as well as the patients. About 82% are open to the introduction of insurance policies by the government as well as their implementation in routine practice. Conclusion: Oral health care has long been neglected in our society, and there is a dire need for the formulation of policies with regard to dental insurance in order to make dental services more accessible and cost-effective. There is a need for increasing consciousness regarding the financial countenance of dental practice among dentists and dental students through the curriculum, as well as various conferences and educational programs to keep the individuals familiarized and afoot with the current financial order and reforms pertaining to dental practice.