New Study Finds That Adults Still Not Getting The Dental Care They Need

The American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute (HPI) released an analysis that showed dental care use by adults has not improved even with the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.

According to the analysis, the top two reasons adults they surveyed don’t intend to see a dentist in the next 12 months is because of the cost and they don’t see the need for preventative care. Respondents to the HPI survey also cited lack of transportation, anxiety, and difficulty finding a dentist who will take Medicaid payments as reasons for foregoing a checkup.

The HPI suggests several additional reasons for low dental compliance, including the fact that the Affordable Care Act does not require dental coverage and that Medicaid policy deprioritizes dental care. One bright note of the study is that the HPI found that the Affordable Care Act did improve children’s access to dental care.

Dentists may do well to increase their pediatric dental training and services. In the meantime, the American Dental Association is working to emphasize oral health education and to encourage adults to visit their dentist instead of the emergency room for dental emergencies. Read more about the HPI analysis.