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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Embry M. Howell, MSPH, PhD, Health Policy Center, The Urban Institute, 2100 M. St., N.W., Washington, DC 20037, 202-261-5714, ehowell@ui.urban.org

Good dental and vision health are critical for children, and such services are directly related to physical health and school performance. Uninsured Latino children, especially undocumented children who are not eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP, are more likely to lack dental and vision care. In Santa Clara County, California, a new program for undocumented children-- Healthy Kids--provides generous insurance coverage for dental and vision services. This study, sponsored by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, found that 71.5 % of undocumented children had no usual source of dental care before they enrolled in Healthy Kids, and a similar percentage (75.8%) had no usual source of vision care. These percentages dropped, to 18.7% and 58.3% respectively, for those with Healthy Kids insurance coverage. The impact on use of services was even more dramatic. Only 23.2% of children without Healthy Kids had a preventive dental check-up in the 6 months prior to joining the program, while 61.0% of those on Healthy Kids had one. Only 7.4% of those without the program had formal vision care in the past six months, while 18.0% of those with Healthy Kids received such services. Delayed dental and vision care was high before joining Healthy Kids, 15.7% and 7.4% respectively, but dropped significantly to 8.0% and 1.6% after enrollment. Providing health insurance coverage for dental and vision care substantially increased access to these critical services among the undocumented children in Santa Clara County.

Learning Objectives:

• This session will provide new information on use of dental and vision service among undocumented Hispanic children, as well as the impact of such services on their health. Design and measurement issues will also be discussed.

Keywords: Access and Services, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation