Preventive Dental Service Utilization for Medicaid-Enrolled Children in New Hampshire: A Comparison of Care Provided by Pediatric Dentists and General Dentists

作者：Donald Chi, Peter Milgrom · 发表于：Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved · 年份：2009 · DOI：10.1353/hpu.0.0139 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Dental Health and Care Utilization、Oral microbiology and periodontitis research、Dental Education, Practice, Research

In this study, we compared preventive dental utilization through visits to a pediatric dentist (PD) vs. visits to a general dentist (GD) among Medicaid-enrolled children in New Hampshire (n = 12,964). Dental claims were analyzed using conditional logistic regression models. After adjusting for covariates, children seen by a PD were 51% more likely to have received fluoride treatment, 26% more likely to have had at least two dental examinations, and 19% more likely to have received a sealant than children seen by a GD. Overall, our results suggest that children seen by a PD were more likely to have received preventive services than those seen by a GD. Because Medicaid-enrolled children are at increased risk for poor oral health, policies should be enacted to ensure that high-risk children receive appropriate and regular prevention-oriented dental care.