Prior Incarceration and Dental Insurance Trajectories throughout Older Adulthood.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Prior incarceration is a significant social determinant of health.
• Understanding long-term health insurance trajectories is crucial for older adults.
• Dental insurance access is vital for overall health and well-being in later life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between a history of incarceration and dental insurance coverage patterns among older adults.
• To identify distinct trajectories of dental insurance over time in older adulthood.
• To assess the impact of prior incarceration on these dental insurance trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of a nationally representative sample (n=6,383) from the Health and Retirement Survey (2012-2020).
• Utilized group-based trajectory modeling to identify dental insurance patterns.
• Employed multinomial logistic regression to link prior incarceration to trajectory group membership.

Main Results:

• Four dental insurance trajectories were identified: persistent (30.0%), intermittent high (16.4%), intermittent low (20.4%), and no insurance (33.3%).
• Formerly incarcerated individuals were more likely to experience intermittent low (RRR=2.31) and no dental insurance (RRR=1.51).
• After adjusting for covariates, prior incarceration remained associated with intermittent low dental insurance (RRR=1.48).

Conclusions:

• Older adults with a history of incarceration are less likely to maintain consistent dental insurance coverage.
• Further research is needed to understand the underlying reasons and develop targeted policy and programmatic interventions.
• Findings can inform dental providers, policymakers, and health programs to enhance dental care access for formerly incarcerated individuals.