PURPOSE: This study examines the impact of dental coverage provided through a health insurance program for low-income children on the use of dental services in Western Pennsylvania. METHODS: A before-after design with a control group was used. Telephone interviews were conducted with the families of newly enrolled children at the time of enrollment, at 6 months and at 12 months after enrollment. Both structured and open-ended questions were asked about the use of health care services, unmet need/delayed care and causes and consequences of unmet need/delayed care. A second group of families were interviewed 12 months after the study group was initially interviewed to form a comparison sample. The study population consisted of 750 children who were continuously enrolled in the program for 12 months and 460 comparison children. RESULTS: After enrollment, the proportion of children with a regular source of dental care increased 42%, while the proportion of those who had a preventive dental visit increased 50%. The proportion of children reporting unmet need/delayed care for dental services fell from 43% to 10%. The program had a larger impact on the use of dental services than on the use of medical services. CONCLUSIONS: The extension of dental benefits to SCHIP-eligible children in Western Pennsylvania had a positive impact on children by increasing their access to dental care and to preventive dental services.
PURPOSE: This study examines the impact of dental coverage provided through a health insurance program for low-income children on the use of dental services in Western Pennsylvania. METHODS: A before-after design with a control group was used. Telephone interviews were conducted with the families of newly enrolled children at the time of enrollment, at 6 months and at 12 months after enrollment. Both structured and open-ended questions were asked about the use of health care services, unmet need/delayed care and causes and consequences of unmet need/delayed care. A second group of families were interviewed 12 months after the study group was initially interviewed to form a comparison sample. The study population consisted of 750 children who were continuously enrolled in the program for 12 months and 460 comparison children. RESULTS: After enrollment, the proportion of children with a regular source of dental care increased 42%, while the proportion of those who had a preventive dental visit increased 50%. The proportion of children reporting unmet need/delayed care for dental services fell from 43% to 10%. The program had a larger impact on the use of dental services than on the use of medical services. CONCLUSIONS: The extension of dental benefits to SCHIP-eligible children in Western Pennsylvania had a positive impact on children by increasing their access to dental care and to preventive dental services.
Authors: Surani Fernando; David J Speicher; Mahmoud M Bakr; Miles C Benton; Rodney A Lea; Paul A Scuffham; Gabor Mihala; Newell W Johnson Journal: BMC Oral Health Date: 2015-12-29 Impact factor: 2.757