A Study Finds That A Fourth of Californian Children Have Never Seen a Dentist

A significant problem for children in the US is that they lack dental care. US children miss approximately 1,600,000 school days every year as a result of dental disease. A new study has revealed that in California, nearly 25% of all children have never seen a dentist and that disparities exists across type of insurance, ethnicity, and race, when it comes to the amount of time in between visits to the dentist.

A significant problem for children in the US is that they lack dental care. US children miss approximately 1,600,000 school days every year as a result of dental disease.

A new study has revealed that in California, nearly 25% of all children have never seen a dentist and that disparities exists across type of insurance, ethnicity, and race, when it comes to the amount of time in between visits to the dentist.

The study examined the barriers to dental care among California’s children who were aged 11 and under, using data from a recent California Health Interview Survey. The study contains data on almost 11,000 children.

Researchers from UCLA determined that black and Latino children with numerous types of insurance were less likely than white and Asian American to have been to the dentist in the previous 6 months, or even in their entire lifetime.

Researchers also determined that black and Latino children that have public insurance, such as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid, visited the dentist less frequently than Asian American and white children who had the same insurance coverage. Generally, the children who had private insurance saw a dentist more often than those with CHIP or Medicaid.

These findings seem to suggest that it isn’t always enough just to have insurance. What must be addressed are the other barriers that prevent children from receiving the dental help that they need.

This finding raises concerns about Medicaid’s ability to address these disparities in the access to dental care. Ultimately, more strategic efforts are required to overcome the barriers to quality dental care, including increasing the number of participating Medicaid providers, and raising the reimbursement rates that are paid to dentists who serve the Medicaid population.

The findings seem to indicate that numerous low income California children never receive dental care and don’t have routine dental visits. Even for those who have Medicaid or (CHIP) coverage, there are numerous barriers to get proper dental care services.

The study showed that 54% of children who were privately insured and 27% of children who are publicly insured had seen the dentist during the previous 6 months, as compared to 12% of children who don’t have dental coverage.