Growth in dental spending will slow in the coming decade, if current law and practice patterns

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