title: Preventive Dental Care and Long-Term Dental Outcomes among ALL Kids Enrollees.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether early or regular preventive dental visit (PDV) reduces restorative or emergency dental care and costs for low-income children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Enrollees during 1998-2012 in the Alabama CHIP program, ALL Kids.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study using claims data for children continuously enrolled in ALL Kids for at least 4 years. Analyses are conducted separately for children 0-4 years, 4-9 years, and >9 years. For 0-4 years, the intervention of interest is whether they have at least one PDV before age 3. For the other two age groups, interventions of interest are if they have regular PDVs during each of the first 3 years, and if they have claims for a sealant in the first 3 years. Outcomes-namely restorative and emergency dental service and costs-are measured in the fourth year. To account for selection into PDV, a high-dimensional propensity scores approach is utilized.
  
  
  METHODS
  Claims data were obtained from ALL Kids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only sealants are associated with a reduced likelihood of using restorative and emergency services and costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Whether PDVs without sealants actually reduce restorative/emergency pediatric dental services is questionable. Further research into benefits of PDV is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Organization & Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Bisakha
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Organization & Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Organization & Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: Meredith L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Kilgore
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy & Management, Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Morrisey
authors.affiliation: Department of Healthcare Organization & Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Alabama Department of Public Health, Bureau of Children's Health Insurance, Montgomery, AL.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy & Management, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN.|Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.
authors.forename: Nir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Menachemi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000407:Alabama; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States
keywords: Preventive; children; costs; dental