Private dental coverage: who has it and how does it influence dental visits and expenditures?
BACKGROUND
Dental insurance has had a significant impact on dentistry and dental care use. Dental insurance coverage may influence people's decisions to use dental care. During 1996, 42.9 percent of all dental expenditures were paid by private dental insurance.


METHODS
The focus of this analysis is on private dental coverage, use and expenditures for the U.S. civilian community-based population during 1996. The authors provide national estimates for the population with private dental coverage, the population with a dental visit, mean number of dental visits per year and mean total expenditures for several socioeconomic and demographic categories during 1996, using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, or MEPS, data.


RESULTS
Poor and low-income people were less likely to have private dental coverage than were people with higher incomes. People without coverage at all income levels were less likely to report a dental visit than were people with coverage. When they controlled for coverage, the authors found that education at any income level did not appear to affect the likelihood of people's having multiple visits or higher expenditures.


CONCLUSIONS
People with private coverage are more likely to visit a dentist, have a greater number of visits and have higher expenditures than are those without coverage. Private dental insurance coverage, however, is not the only determinant of dental care use. MEPS data also show that other factors play key roles. Comprehensive strategies designed to improve dental care use should keep each of these determinants in mind.


CONCLUSIONS
While dentists may have a limited ability to influence people to seek care initially, they may be in a better position to influence the amount of care patients obtain, thereby helping make sure that patients receive the care that they need and want.
Manski
Richard J
RJ
Department of Oral Health Care Delivery, Dental School, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21201, USA. Manski@Dental.umaryland.edu
Macek
Mark D
MD
Moeller
John F
JF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017149:Private Sector; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States