IADR Abstract Archives
Dental Services Utilization Among Medicaid-enrolled Pregnant Women in Virginia
Objectives:
Oral health is an integral part of prenatal health care for pregnant women. To address health inequalities and improve the oral health of pregnant women in Virginia, a comprehensive dental benefit was implemented in the Medicaid dental program for pregnant women in March 2015.
This study examined the impact of newly implemented Medicaid dental program on the utilization of dental care among eligible pregnant women.
Methods: Medicaid eligibility and dental claims data for 2015-2018 were obtained from the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). Both datasets were merged and descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: During 2015-2018, a total of 103, 200 pregnant women were enrolled for >90 days and eligible to receive comprehensive dental care under the Medicaid dental program. Overall, only 16% of eligible women utilized dental services during the 2015-2018 period. Compared to the eligible women, women with dental claims, were more likely to be white (55% vs. 57%) , non-US citizens (10% vs. 14%), and enrolled for more than 10 months (57% vs. 71%), and less likely to be from the Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) (39% vs. 36%). Among women with dental services, 52% had preventive, 56% had restorative, and 21% had periodontal claims. Of all the dental claims, 6% were preventive services claims, 34% were diagnostic and 59% claims were treatment services claims. The adjusted analysis showed significant differences in dental care utilization by age, race, citizenship status, DMAS regions, HPSA, and months-enrolled in the program.
Conclusions: Despite the availability of Medicaid dental benefits, only one out of six eligible pregnant women utilized dental care. To improve the utilization of dental services among Medicaid-enrolled pregnant women, it is crucial to understand the barriers to the use of Medicaid dental benefits.
Oral health is an integral part of prenatal health care for pregnant women. To address health inequalities and improve the oral health of pregnant women in Virginia, a comprehensive dental benefit was implemented in the Medicaid dental program for pregnant women in March 2015.
This study examined the impact of newly implemented Medicaid dental program on the utilization of dental care among eligible pregnant women.
Methods: Medicaid eligibility and dental claims data for 2015-2018 were obtained from the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). Both datasets were merged and descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results: During 2015-2018, a total of 103, 200 pregnant women were enrolled for >90 days and eligible to receive comprehensive dental care under the Medicaid dental program. Overall, only 16% of eligible women utilized dental services during the 2015-2018 period. Compared to the eligible women, women with dental claims, were more likely to be white (55% vs. 57%) , non-US citizens (10% vs. 14%), and enrolled for more than 10 months (57% vs. 71%), and less likely to be from the Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) (39% vs. 36%). Among women with dental services, 52% had preventive, 56% had restorative, and 21% had periodontal claims. Of all the dental claims, 6% were preventive services claims, 34% were diagnostic and 59% claims were treatment services claims. The adjusted analysis showed significant differences in dental care utilization by age, race, citizenship status, DMAS regions, HPSA, and months-enrolled in the program.
Conclusions: Despite the availability of Medicaid dental benefits, only one out of six eligible pregnant women utilized dental care. To improve the utilization of dental services among Medicaid-enrolled pregnant women, it is crucial to understand the barriers to the use of Medicaid dental benefits.