 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Janet M. Bronstein, PhD, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, RPHB 330, 1665 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL 35294, 205-975-8962, jbronste@uab.edu, Nancy Swigonski, MD, MPH, Department of Adolescent Medicine, Indiana Unviersity School of Medicine, Riley Hospital, 702 Barnhill Road, Room 1740X, Indianapolis, IN 46201, and Elizabeth A. Shenkman, PhD, University of Florida, Institute for Child Health Policy, 5700 SW 34th Street, Suite 323, Gainesville, FL 32608.
It is widely documented that only a small portion of low-income children use dental care. We present findings here from several of the research projects supported by the AHRQ, Packard Foundation and HRSA sponsored Children's Health Insurance Research Initiative. In surveys conducted by these projects, 30-40% of families report having used dental care recently. Most children without dental care use did use medical services. Surveyed families report out of pocket financial costs as a significant barrier to access to dental services. Public insurance claims data analyzed in some of the same projects indicate an even lower utilization rate, between 20% and 30% of covered children with one or more dental visit. These low use rates were observed across race and eligibility categories. Across the states examined using claims data, Georgia, Alabama and Florida, between 45% and 60% of dental visits included restorative services, either alone (10%-12% of visits) or in combination with preventive (26%-35% of visits) or with emergency services (10%-13% of visits). An additional substantial portion of visits (10%-22%) included surgical services. Less than 25% of dental visits were for routine care alone. These findings suggest that dental care needs are relatively intensive among the portion of low-income children using care reimbursed by public insurance. Diminished dental benefits are likely to be associated with severe negative oral health outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Child/Adolescent, Medicaid
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.