Objectives: The purposes of this study were to review changes in the amount of pit and fissure sealant (PFS) provided after the inclusion of PFS in treatments covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI)
and to assess differences in the supplied amount between geographical areas where accessibility to
dental care differs.
Methods: The years for comparison were selected based on data availability and the time of inclusion
of PFS into NHI coverage. The selected pre-inclusion year was 2008, and the post-inclusion year was
2012. Data regarding the amount of PFS supplied were collected from the oral health program, NHI,
and Medical care. To dichotomize areas by high and low dental care accessibility, we standardized the
population size, number of dental institutions, and number of dentists in each group.
Results: We considered metropolitan areas and Gyeonggi Province as high dental care accessibility
areas, while other provinces were considered as low dental care accessibility areas. Regardless of the
transforming constant, the amount of PFS supplied increased in high dental care accessibility areas and
decreased in low dental care accessibility areas after inclusion of PFS in NHI.
Conclusions: To increase the amount of PFS provided in low dental care accessibility areas, promotion
of PFS should be strengthened and support from oral health programs should be increased. Additionally,
waiving out-of-pocket money for PFS in NHI should be considered to remove barriers of supply.

Keywords: National Health Insurance, Oral health program, Pit and fissure sealant