Growth in dental spending will slow in the coming decade, if current law and practice patterns continue, according to a government actuary`s projection. American spending on dental care was $40 billion in 1994, up 7 percent from the year before. In 2005, it will be $79.1 billion, up 6 percent from the previous year, according to a report in the government`s "Health Care Financing Administration Review." That rate of growth will be lower than health spending overall, but slightly higher than gross-domestic product growth, the report said.
D`Vera Cohn
Washington Correspondent
