Digital Access for Screens and Smiles: Telehealth Use and Dental Care Access in the U.S

Background/Objectives: Cost-related delays hinder access to dental care in the United States, while the growing use of telehealth has an uncertain impact on population-level access to dental services. The study examined factors associated with cost-related delays in dental care among U.S. adults and whether telemedicine use in the past year was associated with these delays. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized nationally representative data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine the association between telehealth use and oral health services utilization in the past 12 months. All analyses were performed using R version 4.5.1 within the RStudio IDE (version 2025.09.0+387). Results: Adults who visited a dental provider within the past 12 months had lower odds of cost-related dental care delay, whereas telemedicine users had higher odds of delay. Higher odds of delayed dental care were observed among women, those aged below 65 years, Hispanics, those with poorer health, and those living in the Midwest, South, and West. Education and family income-to-poverty ratio were not significantly associated with delay in the adjusted analysis. Conclusions: Cost-related delays in dental care remain common and reflect persistent sociodemographic inequities and patterns of healthcare engagement. Telemedicine use alone does not appear to contribute to overcoming barriers to dental care access. Policies that reduce financial barriers and connect telehealth encounters with oral health referral pathways may improve equitable access to dental services.