Children on Medicaid Don’t Receive Necessary Dental Care

Written by Dentistry TodayMonday, 11 June 2012 15:25



Only one out of three children on Medicaid receive dental care each year. The location also factors into how often they visit a dentist.

The information comes from a new study that will appear in the July issue ofPediatrics.

The number of dental visits was anywhere from 12 percent in Nevada to 49 percent in Vermont in 2007, according to the study. There wasn’t one state in which more than half of the children on Medicaid visited the dentist in the last year.

Still, these numbers indicate a 16 percent increase when compared to the information from 2002. These numbers, however, show that much work needs to be done to ensure dental treatment for children covered by Medicaid.

The problem is that since Medicaid varies by state, eligibility rules and the amount of money available is different in each state. Medicaid programs generally include regular checkups and some necessary procedures.

According to Medicaid records, the amount of visits was low for infants and toddlers in every state but three. The dental visits reached their highest point after the children started school.

Children who were in the Primary Care Case Management part of the Medicaid generally had the highest number of dental visits.

Dental care programs in schools, as well as having a regular dentist, were two of the biggest reasons for improved dental care.

The problem is that with more people on Medicaid, some states have eliminated the dental coverage and dental education that used to exist in schools. There’s also the issue that Medicaid reimbursement payments for dentists are often low.