A study published in BMC Public Health estimates that the economic burden of dental caries falls disproportionately on the most deprived socioeconomic groups, with per-person costs in the UK reaching approximately £18,000 ($22,910) from adolescence to middle age. The research was commissioned by the European Federation of Periodontology and conducted by an international team including Professor Moritz Kebschull and Professor Iain Chapple from the University of Birmingham. It examined six countries: the UK, Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, and Italy, using a simulation model built on national data covering decayed, missing, and filled teeth alongside the likelihood of interventions such as restorations, extractions, and replacements.

The UK recorded the highest per-person costs among the six countries studied. Deprived groups start with greater caries burden and accumulate higher treatment costs over their lifetimes, making early prevention the most cost-effective point of intervention.

The study modelled both population-level measures (community water fluoridation, sugar tax, school education programmes) and individual-level measures (brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, topical fluoride application). Applied uniformly, these interventions are estimated to cut caries progression rates by 30%. A targeted approach concentrating resources on the most deprived group could reduce per-person costs by approximately £14,000 ($17,728) in the UK, which is a larger saving than uniform application would produce.