Objectives: The study aims to evaluate the cost effectiveness of sealant program by public provider and sealant program by private provider. The sealant program is the dental prevention program which applying resin on pit and fissure surface of molar tooth to prevent cavity in grade 1 primary school students. The target of the program is to reduce the caries prevalence of the 12 years old students. Using the public and private sector implementing the program would increase accessibility of dental care to all students.

Methods: Data was collected from grade 1 students in 4 primary schools which participated in sealant program in Chiang Mai city in 2012 and follow up the dental status of the same students in same schools in 2014 when they were on grade 3.The sealant program, the dental procedure which applying resin on pit and fissure surface of molar tooth, has started since 2005 in grade 1 primary school students to provide dental decay prevention on lower permanent first molar teeth. The program was implemented by McCormick (private) and Nakornping (public) hospitals.

Results: The result presents that public sector has dominant cost-effectiveness with higher dental health effectiveness and lower cost compare with the private sector. Therefore, the public health provider deliver cost saving dental preventive sealant program.If the dental health effectiveness of the private sector fixed at 74.4 provide the range of dental health effectiveness of public sector from 35 to 70. By decreasing the dental health effectiveness of public sector at private sector fixed rate, the cost-effectiveness of the private provider decreases.

Conclusions: The public private participation in currently health care system is inevitably, especially in the big cities like Chiang Mai. Indeed, the public private partnership can benefit both sector including increasing resources and reduce costs.