Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships: . Charles LeHew, PhD, MA, MPA: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Abstract: Objective: To assess access to restorative dental care for Medicaid-insured versus privately insured children in Illinois. Methods: Trained callers posing as parents of children previously diagnosed with dental caries sought appointments for restorative care at dental offices with at least one provider registered with the State to deliver services under Medicaid. In a cross-over design, dental offices were initially randomized to Medicaid or private insurance arms for the first call, then, following a 3-week washout period, assigned to the other condition. In two cross-over rounds, the fictitious child was first portrayed as 10 years of age, then subsequently as 4 years of age. The main outcome of interest was whether the caller could obtain an appointment (immediately cancelled). Time to appointment was also assessed. Analyses were conducted by using a generalized linear mixed model, adjusting for clinic dependence, county population and geographic region. Results: N=1136 dental offices were randomized to conditions resulting in 1607 and 668 completed cases for 10-year-old and 4-year-old scenarios, respectively. For 10-year-old cases, appointments were secured as follows: 663/799 (83%) private insurance; 491/808 (61%) Medicaid. For the 4-year-old cases: 272/332 (82%); 183/336 (54%). These differences are significant for both age groups: p <0.001 and p <0.001, respectively. Conclusions: Illinois children with Medicaid insurance have greater difficulty securing restorative dental appointments at Medicaid-serving dental offices than Illinois children with private insurance.
Source of Funding: Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation
