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Dental services. An analysis of utilization over 20 years
R J Manski1, J F Moeller, W R Maas
1Department of Oral Health Care Delivery, Dental School, University of Maryland, 666W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, Md. 21201, USA. Manski@Dental.umaryland.edu
Journal of the American Dental Association (1939)
|May 23, 2001
Summary
Dental visit rates remained stable overall, but increased for children and the elderly over 20 years. The income-based gap in dental care utilization widened, while racial disparities narrowed slightly.
Area of Science:
- Oral Health Services Research
- Health Services Utilization
- Dental Public Health
Background:
- Dental utilization studies are crucial for oral health policy.
- Most studies focus on single survey periods, limiting understanding of trends.
- Few studies examine changes in dental care utilization over extended timeframes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze dental utilization patterns and changes over two decades (1977, 1987, 1996).
- To provide national estimates of dental visits across socioeconomic and demographic groups.
- To identify trends in dental care access for the U.S. civilian population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Medical Care Expenditure Survey, National Medical Expenditure Survey, and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
- Focused on the civilian, community-based U.S. population.
- Analyzed dental visit data for 1977, 1987, and 1996.
Main Results:
- Children (6-18) had the highest dental visit rates, with increases observed in children and the elderly over the study period.
- The disparity in dental visit rates between lower- and higher-income individuals widened.
- While sex and race/ethnicity use rates were generally stable, the gap between white and non-white utilization narrowed by 1996.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a unique, comparable dataset for analyzing dental visit trends over 20 years.
- Aggregate dental utilization remained stable, but significant shifts occurred within specific demographic and socioeconomic groups.
- Increased utilization was noted for individuals aged 65+ and children under 6, highlighting evolving care needs.