title: Dental care after an emergency department visit for dental problems among adults enrolled in Medicaid.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dental emergency department (ED) visits are increasing nationally, but EDs provide only palliative care. The authors examine time to subsequent dentist visit within 6 months after the ED visit, as well as the effect of having a dentist visit in the prior year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using 2010-2012 Iowa Medicaid claims data, the authors identified adults with an index dental ED visit. The authors examined the claims data for a subsequent dentist visit within the next 6 months. The authors used Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests for bivariate analyses. The authors included a dentist visit in the year before the index ED visit, subsequent ED visits, and sociodemographic characteristics in a Cox multivariable regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 2,430 adults enrolled in Medicaid satisfied the study inclusion criteria. Within 6 months, 52.4% had a subsequent dentist visit, 12.0% lost Medicaid eligibility, and 35.6% did not have subsequent dentist visit. Bivariate and multivariable analyses revealed that nonwhites, those without a dentist visit in the prior year, and those with subsequent ED visits had a significantly lower rate of subsequent dentist visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Almost one-half of adults with a dental ED visit did not visit a dentist in the next 6 months. Adults who did not visit a dentist in the past year and those with repeated ED visits may be living with unresolved dental problems that can affect their quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adults without a dentist visit in the past year and those who visit ED repeatedly can be targeted by ED diversion programs because they are at higher risk of not receiving follow-up dental care.
authors.forename: Astha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Momany
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Caplan
authors.forename: Raymond A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kuthy
authors.forename: Christopher T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Buresh
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Damiano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D009057:Stomatognathic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emergencies; Medicaid; dental care