A Study on the Coverage of Dental Services by the Armed Forces Medical Services Insurance Fund: A Potential Model for Initial Developments of Dental Insurance in Iran

This study aimed to qualitatively analyze the current situation of the “Armed Forces Medical Services Insurance Fund” (AFMSIF) function with an emphasis on dental services. This was done in order to help improve its performance as well as employing its experiences to develop dental insurance in Iran. A template of descriptive items was used to guide the interview with the informed people in AFMSIF regarding its function with an emphasis on dental services. By using supplementary information sources, a descriptive report was prepared, and its accuracy and adequacy was checked by the related interviewee. By describing the AFMSIF function with an emphasis on the dental sector, we got a picture of the dental services fund flow in AFMSIF in three financing sub-functions; namely, revenue collection, pooling of revenues and purchasing services. The individual characteristics are then discussed for their potential performance based on the current available evidence. AFMSIF shows signs of rather active or strategic attempts particularly in the area of “how to purchase”. Among them are the establishment of mechanisms of cost containment and quality assurance for dental services and paying providers based on the quality evaluation of the contracted centers. These experiences would serve as a guide to extend dental insurance at a national level.