ArticleJournal of the American Dental Association (1939)2021
Medicaid adult dental benefits and oral health of low-income older adults.
Article in Journal of the American Dental Association (1939), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of Socioeconomic Factors With Oral Health in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Gerodontology · 2026Pooled it
- Social Relationships and Tooth Loss in Adults Aged 60 Years and Older: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Community dentistry and oral epidemiology · 2025Pooled it
- Prior Incarceration and Dental Insurance Trajectories throughout Older Adulthood.JDR clinical and translational research · 2026Article
- Geriatric Oral Health in the United States: Current Status and Challenges.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of the National Health Service Corps expansion on dental care use in underserved areas.Journal of the American Dental Association (1939) · 2026Article
- Attitudes About Administrative Burdens for Beneficiaries and Dental Care Providers in Medicaid.Journal of public health dentistry · 2026Article
- The Mouth-Mind Connection: Interplay of Oral and Mental Health in Older Adults.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- Edentulous patients in Middle-Aged and elderly Chinese population (Nationally representative Data) and their disease burden: A study from CHARLS.Clinical oral investigations · 2025Article
- Psychosocial Profiles of Older Adults by Dentition Status and Dental Utilisation History.Community dentistry and oral epidemiology · 2025Article
- Medicare Advantage Dental Benefits: Comprehensive Coverage Available In Fewer Than Half Of US Counties.Health affairs (Project Hope) · 2025Article
- Exploring the association between dental insurance coverage and dental care utilization and oral health among elderly Ontarians.Journal of public health dentistry · 2025Article
- Medicaid Unwinding Experiences in Dual-Eligible Older Adults.JAMA health forum · 2025Article
- Variability in the utilization of preventive dental services among the underserved population of Indiana.PloS one · 2025Article
- The Effects of the Expansion of Dental Care Coverage for the Elderly.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Wake Smiles Prizes Dignity and Empathy Alongside Evidence-based Oral Health Care.North Carolina medical journal · 2024Article
- Effects of a Medicaid dental coverage "cliff" on dental care access among low-income Medicare beneficiaries.Health services research · 2023Article
- Dental Services Use: Medicare Beneficiaries Experience Immediate And Long-Term Reductions After Enrollment.Health affairs (Project Hope) · 2023Article
- Article
- Impact of Medicaid dental coverage expansion on self-reported tooth loss in low-income adults.Journal of the American Dental Association (1939) · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOlder adults are keeping their natural teeth longer, spurring calls for dental coverage under Medicare. Although Medicare dental coverage would benefit all older adults, the poorest among them are already eligible for dental benefits through Medicaid. The authors examine the association between states' Medicaid adult dental benefits and dental care use and tooth loss among low-income older adults.
methodsUsing the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 2014, 2016, and 2018, the authors examined adults 65 years or older. The outcomes examined included annual dental visit and partial and complete tooth loss. Poisson regressions were used to obtain risk ratios after adjusting for covariates.
resultsStates' Medicaid adult dental benefits were significantly associated with dental care use, with low-income older adults in states with no coverage having the lowest probability of visiting a dentist (risk ratio [RR], 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.94), followed by emergency-only coverage (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.98) and limited benefits (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.98) relative to states with extensive benefits. There were no significant differences in either partial or complete tooth loss.
conclusionsStates' Medicaid adult dental benefits are significantly associated with dental visits among low-income seniors. Providing comprehensive dental benefits under Medicaid can improve access to dental care among low-income older adults. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: As the older adult patient population grows, the poorest older adults may face barriers to dental care in the absence of dental coverage. Dental professionals must engage in advocating for comprehensive dental coverage, especially for vulnerable populations.
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Registered trials
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