AIMTo examine what impact the loss of funding had on the utilization of the oral pathology service.

METHODOLOGYBiopsy records were retrieved and examined in the two year period before and after the elimination of the subsidies in 2003.

RESULTSAfter the loss of funding, there was a 31% decrease in the number of specimens submitted from practitioners in private practice, with the greatest drop noted in submissions from endodontists.

CONCLUSIONDespite the immediate decrease in the number of biopsies submitted after the introduction of fee-for-service, the number of specimens being submitted appears to be on the rise again, as practitioners appear to recognize the value of a specialized oral pathology diagnostic service.

Biopsy ; economics ; utilization ; Diagnosis, Oral ; economics ; Diagnostic Services ; economics ; utilization ; Endodontics ; Fee-for-Service Plans ; economics ; utilization ; Financial Support ; General Practice, Dental ; Humans ; Pathology Department, Hospital ; economics ; Pathology, Oral ; economics ; Periodontics ; Private Practice ; utilization ; Retrospective Studies ; Schools, Dental ; economics ; Specimen Handling ; economics ; utilization ; Surgery, Oral