Preventive dental service utilization for Medicaid-enrolled children in New Hampshire: a comparison of care provided by pediatric dentists and general dentists.
In this study, we compared preventive dental utilization through visits to a pediatric dentist (PD) vs. visits to a general dentist (GD) among Medicaid-enrolled children in New Hampshire (n = 12,964). Dental claims were analyzed using conditional logistic regression models. After adjusting for covariates, children seen by a PD were 51% more likely to have received fluoride treatment, 26% more likely to have had at least two dental examinations, and 19% more likely to have received a sealant than children seen by a GD. Overall, our results suggest that children seen by a PD were more likely to have received preventive services than those seen by a GD. Because Medicaid-enrolled children are at increased risk for poor oral health, policies should be enacted to ensure that high-risk children receive appropriate and regular prevention-oriented dental care.
Chi
Donald
D
University of Iowa, College of Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Iowa City, USA.
Milgrom
Peter
P
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid; D009513:New Hampshire; D010377:Pediatric Dentistry; D011313:Preventive Dentistry / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States