Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
December 2007
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
24
Issue:
4

Dental care use: does dental insurance truly make a difference in the US?

Objective Having medical insurance with or without coverage for dental care has been shown to be associated with an increase in dental use. The purpose of this study is to provide information that will help describe this behavior. Method We isolate the independent effect of health insurance on the likelihood of a dental visit by analyzing Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. Results Data show that persons with private medical coverage, controlling for dental coverage and other socioeconomic and demographic factors, are more likely to have a dental visit than persons without private medical coverage. Having medical insurance with or without coverage for dental care is associated with an increased likelihood of having a dental visit. These data suggest a more complex role for dental insurance beyond that of traditional insurance motivation. Conclusions These data suggest that programmes designed to improve dental access with added dental coverage may not be sufficient to remedy access deficiencies and may offer only modest extra incentives to use dental services over and above medical insurance.

Key words: Coverage, dental, dentistry, insurance, utilization

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
205
Page End
212
Authors
R. J. Manski, P. F. Cooper

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - The STROBE initiative and its implications for dental public health research
  2. 194
  3. 197

  1. Evaluation of the Parental Perceptions Questionnaire, a component of the COHQoL, for use in the UK.
  2. 198
  3. 204

  1. Dental care use: does dental insurance truly make a difference in the US?
  2. 205
  3. 212

  1. Private dental health expenditure in Greece by region and income: comparison between the years 1987 and 1998.
  2. 216
  3. 216

  1. The prevalence and severity of dental pain in 14-15 year old Brazilian schoolchildren
  2. 217
  3. 224

  1. Dental caries prevalence among adults in Denmark – the impact of socio-demographic factors and use of oral health services
  2. 225
  3. 232

  1. The effect of advance telephone prompting in a survey of general dental practitioners in Scotland: A randomised controlled trial
  2. 233
  3. 237

  1. Dental caries trends among indigenous and non-indigenous Australian children
  2. 238
  3. 246

  1. Assessment of the reliability and validity of the Dental Neglect Scale in Norwegian adults
  2. 247
  3. 252

  1. Determinants of ECC in Sardinian preschool children
  2. 253
  3. 256

  1. The working practices and career satisfaction of dental therapists in New Zealand
  2. 257
  3. 263

  1. Short Communication - Caries prevalence and location and dental treatment needs in preschoolers in Athens – GENESIS Project
  2. 264
  3. 267

  1. BASCD Presidential Address
  2. 268
  3. 270