Ohio dental care providers' treatment of young children, 2002 |
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Authors: | Siegal Mark D Marx Mary L |
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Institution: | Bureau of Oral Health Services, Ohio Department of Health, Columbus, Ohio 43215, USA. Mark.Siegal@odh.ohio.gov |
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Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Adequate access to dental care for young children--particularly those from low-income families--is a public concern. The authors conducted a survey of Ohio dental care providers to examine factors influencing their willingness to care for these children. METHODS: Random samples of Ohio general practitioner (GPs) dentists and pediatric dentists (PDs) and all Ohio safety-net dental clinics completed a mail survey regarding treatment of children aged 0 through 5 years. The authors categorized responses by provider type and further analyzed GPs' responses by years since graduation and geographic character. RESULTS: Few Ohio GPs (8 percent) recommended a first dental visit by 1 year of age. While 91 percent of GPs treated children aged 3 through 5 years, only 34 percent treated children aged 0 through 2 years, most often for emergency visits or examinations. Only 7 percent of all GPs and 29 percent of PDs accepted patients enrolled in Medicaid without limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Children's being young (0-2 years of age) and having Medicaid as a payment source made GPs substantially less likely to treat them. Children's being enrolled in Head Start made GPs somewhat more likely to treat them. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: New strategies for ensuring dental care access for young children from low-income families are necessary. Such strategies may take the form of interpeer advocacy, education, practice incentives or creation of coordinated GP and PD teams. |
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