Study: Providing dental insurance not enough to induce americans to seek care

Study: Providing dental insurance not enough to induce americans to seek care.

 

English: ADA/Dental Health on US postage stamp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Providing people with dental insurance does not necessarily mean that they will use it and seek dental care, according to a new study from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, published online in the American Journal of Public Health. The research suggests that outreach and education are needed to ensure that people value their dental health and use their coverage to seek appropriate dental care. The study has particular value in this era of health reform, and the researchers hope that policymakers will use the findings in designing future programs and initiatives, according to first author Richard J. Manski, DDS, MBA, PhD, professor and chief of Dental Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

 

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Dental Care Coverage and Use: Modeling Limitations and Opportunities | Full Text Reports…

Dental Care Coverage and Use: Modeling Limitations and Opportunities | Full Text Reports….

January 17, 2014

 Dental Care Coverage and Use: Modeling Limitations and Opportunities (PDF)

Source: American Journal of Public Health

Objectives.
We examined why older US adults without dental care coverage and use would have lower use rates if offered coverage than do those who currently have coverage.

Methods.
We used data from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study to estimate a multinomial logistic model to analyze the influence of personal characteristics in the grouping of older US adults into those with and those without dental care coverage and dental care use.

Results.
Compared with persons with no coverage and no dental care use, users of dental care with coverage were more likely to be younger, female, wealthier, college graduates, married, in excellent or very good health, and not missing all their permanent teeth.

Conclusions.
Providing dental care coverage to uninsured older US adults without use will not necessarily result in use rates similar to those with prior coverage and use. We have offered a model using modifiable factors that may help policy planners facilitate programs to increase dental care coverage uptake and use.

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