For 12 million uninsured children, high barriers to dental care

Oral health is an important part of good general health. Untreated tooth decay in children can lead to serious health consequences that include lifelong tooth and gum problems, hospitalizations and emergency room visits, delayed physical development, and loss of school days.

In August 2008, the CS Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health asked parents with children age 3-17 years about dental care and dental health concerns for their children.

Use of Dental Care

Experts agree that dental care should begin early in life, seeing a dentist by age 3. In responding to this Poll, 57% of parents  reported that their child(ren) began going to the dentist by age 3. Experts also agree that children should receive dental care on a regular basis—at least once a year, if not more. In this Poll:

• 82% of parents say their children receive regular dental care, at least once a year
• 18% of parents say their children do not receive regular dental care

Dental Insurance

Having dental insurance helps families afford regular dental care for their children. In this Poll, parents indicated whether their  children had dental coverage. We found

• 56% with private dental insurance
• 28% with public dental insurance
• 16% with no dental insurance

Dental insurance is closely linked to receipt of dental care. As shown in Figure 1, children with no dental insurance were 3-4 times more likely to have no regular dental care, compared to children with either private or public dental insurance.

Out of Pocket Costs for Dental Care

Out-of-pocket costs for dental care can be barriers to dental care. As shown in Figure 2, the out-of-pocket cost for a routine dental check-up was reported as more than $25 for the majority of children with no dental insurance (88%), and for nearly a quarter of children with private dental insurance (24%).

Children with higher out-of-pocket costs for dental check-ups have lower rates of receiving regular dental care. Among children whose routine dental visit costs more than $25 out of pocket, only 78% receive regular dental care. In comparison, among children whose routine dental visit costs $25 or less, 92% receive regular dental care.

Barriers to Dental Health

Nearly one-quarter of all parents report “costs too much” as a big problem in getting dental care for their children. Other big problems with getting dental care include that children do not like going to the dentist, and about 1 in 10 parents have difficulty in finding a dentist who accepts their child’s insurance or report that it is hard to get an appointment (Table 1).

Parents without dental insurance for their children report concerns as a big problem more often than parents with dental insurance for their children. For instance, two-thirds of parents whose children do not have dental insurance report “costs too much” as a big problem in getting dental care for their children.

14% of parents whose children have public dental insurance report that it is “difficult to find a dentist who accepts child's insurance” as a big problem in getting dental care for their children, compared with only 8% of parents whose children have private insurance.

Not Getting Needed Dental Care

Overall, 12% of parents have not obtained the dental care they thought their children needed. Unmet dental needs are present at almost twice this rate among children with no dental coverage, with 22% of parents indicating they have not obtained dental care that their child needed (Table 2).