Epidemiologist Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Participants should be aware of the following financial/non-financial relationships: . Prudence Kunyangna, MS: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.. Beth Anderson, MPH: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Abstract: Background: Dental offices in Michigan temporarily postponed all non-essential procedures due to an Executive Order (No. 2020-17) in March 2020. In Michigan, 22% of the population, two million people, is covered by Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Methods: 2016-2020 Medicaid data was used. The population was restricted to those with three or more months of continuous Medicaid enrollment in each calendar year. Rates of dental service utilization for children (0-18 years) and adults (19-64) were calculated for: one or more dental visits, two or more dental visits, one or more preventive dental visits.
Results: In 2019, the rates of one or more dental visits were 49.4% among children and 24.0% among adults. In 2020, the rates dropped to 38.7% and 19.4% among children and adults respectively, a 27.6% drop among children and 23.7% drop among adults. In 2019, 29.2% of children and 14.5% of adults under Medicaid had two or more dental visits. These rates dropped to 19.8% among children and 10.2% among adults in 2020, a decline of 47.5% among children and 42.2% among adults. Rates of one or more preventive dental visits dropped from 45.3% in 2019 to 34.5% in 2020 among children and 13.4% in 2019 to 9.4% in 2020 among adults.
Conclusion: There was a decline in the rates of dental service utilization among Medicaid enrollees in 2020. This decline could be associated with the Executive Order and other COVID-19 related challenges such as personal protective equipment shortage, staff shortage, new infection control guidance and patient fears.
