title: Dental Visits by Age One: General Dentist Availability for Privately Insured Children in a Rural State.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the availability of general dentists who treat very young children with private insurance in the context of recommendations for age one dental visit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Administrative data from Delta Dental of Iowa were analyzed to identify general dentists providing care to children younger than 18 years old in 2005 and 2012. Characteristics of dentists providing care to children younger than two years old were compared, examining changes over time. Geographical distribution of dentists who treated children younger than two years old was examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of dentists treating children younger than two years old increased from six percent in 2005 to 18 percent in 2012. Younger dentists, females, graduates of The University of Iowa College of Dentistry, and those in metropolitan locations were significantly more likely to treat children younger than two years old. Fifty-one of 99 counties lacked any dentists who had provided care to privately insured children younger than two years old.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proportion of dentists in Iowa treating privately insured children younger than two years old has increased since 2005. However, relatively few general dentists provided care to very young children when compared to previous survey-based figures. Geographic distribution of providers supports the hypothesis that provider availability may pose a barrier to early dental visits.
authors.affiliation: Public Policy Center and Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. susan-mckernan@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: McKernan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research, Boston University, Boston, Mass., USA.
authors.forename: Astha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singhal
authors.affiliation: Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Momany
authors.affiliation: Public Policy Center and Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kuthy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003813:Dentistry; D003815:Dentists / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007484:Iowa; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires