Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Dental Care For Publicly Insured Children

Abstract

Poor oral health has important implications for the healthy development of children. Children in Medicaid, especially Latinos and African Americans, experience high rates of tooth decay, yet they visit dentists less often than privately insured children. Even Latino and African American children with private insurance are less likely than white children to visit dentists and have longer intervals between dental visits. Furthermore, Latino and African American children in Medicaid are more likely than white children in Medicaid to have longer intervals between visits. These findings raise concerns about Medicaid's ability to address disparities in dental care access and, more broadly, in health care.

Racial Disparity Trends in Children’s Dental Visits: US National Health Interview Survey, 1964–2010

“…39,40 Minority children have more symptom-related dental visits than their peers 17 and have longer intervals between visits. 41 In some states, African American Medicaidenrolled children receiving dental care were less likely than their white peers to receive comprehensive dental services, including restorative and surgical treatment. 42 These same children were also more likely to be treated by dental providers who mostly provide diagnostic and preventive dental services.…”

Racial Disparities in Emergency Department Utilization for Dental/Oral Health-Related Conditions in Maryland

“…Evidence from Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Maryland demonstrates that Black Americans, especially those with no or public insurance and of low socioeconomic status, have higher rates of ED visits than whites (7–10). The most commonly cited reasons for these high rates include poor overall and oral health combined with a lack of access to dental insurance and care (7–9, 11–13). However, little explanatory work has been done in this area.…”

Access to Oral Health Care: The Role of Federally Qualified Health Centers in Addressing Disparities and Expanding Access

“…2 As with medical care, numerous studies also have found that both disease burden and access to oral health care are associated with income, 3 race and ethnicity, 4 language, 5 and insurance status and type. 6 These factors are associated with barriers to access in underserved communities such as affordability, lack of provider availability, inadequate transportation, and low health literacy around the need for oral health care. Whereas nationally almost 60% of individuals with high incomes had a dental visit in the past year, less than 30% of low-income patients (those with incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level) had a dental visit in the past year.…”