Dental insurance visits and expenditures among older adults.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the effect of age, income, and coverage on dental service utilization during 1996.


METHODS
We used data from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.


RESULTS
Edentulous and poorer older adults are less likely to have coverage and less likely to report a dental visit than dentate or wealthier older adults.


CONCLUSIONS
These analyses help to describe the needs of older adults as they cope with diminishing resources as a consequence of retirement, including persons previously accustomed to accessing oral health services with dental insurance.
Manski
Richard J
RJ
Department of Health Promotion and Policy, University of Maryland School of Dentistry, 666 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. manski@dental.umaryland.edu
Goodman
Harold S
HS
Reid
Britt C
BC
Macek
Mark D
MD
D000368:Aged; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007347:Insurance, Dental / Q000191:economics; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009909:Oral Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States