A study using
research assistants who posed as mothers of a 10-year-old boy with a
fractured front tooth seeking an urgent dental appointment measured
dentists’ willingness to provide treatment to children with
Medicaid/CHIP versus private insurance.
The study, “Disparities in
Child Access to Emergency Care for Acute Oral Injury,” in the June
2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online May 23) found that
even when calling Medicaid-enrolled dentists, only 68 percent of
children with Medicaid/CHIP were able to obtain an appointment compared
to 100 percent of privately-insured children with the same injury.
Non-enrolled dentists only gave an appointment to 7 percent of
children with public insurance, even though the Medicaid program
reimburses all emergency dental care. The authors state that these
findings have implications for changes in oral health policy and
Medicaid/CHIP financing, as well as dental education, and payment
strategies. Finding dental providers willing to accept public insurance
and serve children from low-income families is a first vital step
toward improving oral health for children.
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