Preventive dental treatment use Medicaid children: MN Public Health Data Access - MN Dept. of Health
Preventive dental service among Medicaid-eligible children
Preventive dental service use among Medicaid-eligible children by:
Children enrolled in Medicaid and other Minnesota Health Care Programs can receive preventive dental services
Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) is Minnesota’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program—a federal program required in every state to provide children enrolled in a Medicaid or public health insurance program with yearly well-child care health and dental visits.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend at least one preventive dental visit each year, starting by the child’s first birthday or when the first tooth appears. Preventive visits are important to maintain healthy gums and teeth, prevent dental disease, and identify any treatment needs.
Children eligible for Minnesota’s C&TC services include all children under the age of 21 enrolled in a Medicaid or Children Health Insurance (CHIP) expansion program (Medical Assistance) or MinnesotaCare (collectively called Minnesota Health Care Programs).
The following is based on data from the CMS-416 Report, which reports on children oral health measures such as preventive dental service use among children:
- Aged 1 to 20 years.
- Enrolled in a Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) for at least 90 continuous days.
- By federal fiscal year (October 1 through September 30).
A preventive dental service includes dental cleanings, fluoride application, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, nutrition and tobacco counseling, or oral hygiene instruction provided by or under the supervision of a dentist. Data come from paid, unpaid and denied fee-for-service claims and encounter data reported to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. MHCP pays for any medically necessary preventive dental services every year for children including a dental exam and dental cleaning (Minnesota Statutes 2018, chapter 256B.0625, subd. 9). For more information: About the Child and Teen Checkups Program (CMS-416) Report.
Less than one third of Medicaid eligible children receive at least one yearly preventive dental service
During federal fiscal year 2020, 3 out of 10 Minnesota C&TC eligible children aged 1 to 20 years (32%) had at least one preventive dental service. This is a significant decrease from the previous year (40%). The COVID-19 pandemic is likely playing a role in dental access.
Although not directly comparable, 75% of children in Minnesota aged 1 to 17 years had at least one preventive dental visit in 2019-2020. This prevalence data comes from a web/mail-based survey of parents and guardians (see View Charts: Preventive dental visits).
3 out of every 10
C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years)
(32.1%, 95% CI = 31.9 to 32.2; n = 178,931 of 558,042)
Have at least one preventive dental service
FFY 2020
Preventive dental service use among C&TC eligible children by age, federal fiscal year 2020
| Age group (years) | Number of C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) | Number of C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) with at least one preventive dental service | Percent C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) with at least one preventive dental service within age groups (row percent) | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 | 23,469 | 47 | 0.2% | 0.1 to 0.3 |
| 1 to 2 | 61,595 | 5,678 | 9.2% | 9.0 to 9.4 |
| 3 to 5 | 93,445 | 30,002 | 32.1% | 31.8 to 32.4 |
| 6 to 9 | 119,016 | 49,287 | 41.4% | 41.1 to 41.7 |
| 10 to 14 | 143,687 | 55,541 | 38.7% | 38.4 to 38.9 |
| 15 to 18 | 98,919 | 30,642 | 31.0% | 30.7 to 31.3 |
| 19 to 20 | 41,380 | 7,781 | 18.8% | 18.4 to 19.2 |
Data include Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC) eligible children enrolled in a Minnesota Health Care Program for at least 90-continuous days during the federal fiscal year (FFY) (October 1 through September 30). Total eligible children enrolled during FFY 2020 = 558,042.
A preventive dental service includes dental cleanings, fluoride application, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, nutrition and tobacco counseling, or oral hygiene instruction provided by or under the supervision of a dentist. Data is based on all unduplicated counts of paid, unpaid, and denied claims submitted for reimbursement from fee-for-service providers, managed care plans, Indian Health Services, and Federally Qualified Health Centers that contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. This chart represents percent preventive dental service use within age groups (row percentages). See About the Child and Teen Checkups Program (CMS-416) Report data for more information.
Among C&TC eligible children who received a preventive dental service during federal fiscal year 2020, the majority were between the ages of 3 to 18 years. Less than half of each age group received the recommended yearly preventive dental visit. Most notable, are the very low proportion of 0 to 2 year olds and 19 to 20 year olds who received a preventive dental service.
Preventive dental service use among C&TC eligible children by race and ethnicity, federal fiscal year 2020
| Race and ethnicity | Number of C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) |
Number of C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) with at least one preventive dental service |
Percent C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) with at least one preventive dental service within race and ethnicity groups (row percent) |
95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic/Latino | 61,722 | 21,860 | 35.4% | 35.0 to 35.8 |
| White | 168,074 | 53,871 | 32.1% | 31.8 to 32.3 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 18,236 | 8,487 | 31.8% | 31.2 to 32.3 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 14,772 | 4,655 | 31.5% | 30.8 to 32.3 |
| African American or Black | 73,572 | 22,701 | 30.9% | 30.5 to 31.2 |
| Two or more races | 24,675 | 7,432 | 30.1% | 29.5 to 30.7 |
Data include Child and Teen Checkups eligible children enrolled in a Minnesota Health Care Program for at least 90-continuous days during the federal fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). Total eligible children (1 to 20 years) enrolled during FFY 2020 with a known single race and ethnicity or two or more races = 369,538. Unknown or missing race and ethnicity (not shown in this chart) = 58,978 with at least one preventive dental service out of 188,504 eligible. Two or more races = any combination of two or more single race and ethnicity.
A preventive dental service includes dental cleanings, fluoride application, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, nutrition and tobacco counseling, or oral hygiene instruction provided by or under the supervision of a dentist. Data is based on all unduplicated counts of paid, unpaid, and denied claims submitted for reimbursement from fee-for-service providers, managed care plans, Indian Health Services, and Federally Qualified Health Centers that contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. This chart represents percent preventive dental service use within race and ethnicity groups (row percentages). See About the Child and Teen Checkups Program (CMS-416) Report data for more information.
During federal fiscal year 2020, Hispanic/Latino children used more preventive dental services than other racial/ethnic groups.
C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) preventive dental service use, federal fiscal year 2020
Child and Teen Checkups eligible children include all children enrolled in a Minnesota Health Care Program (Medical Assistance or Medicaid, MNCare) for at least 90-continuous days during the federal fiscal year (FFY) (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30). Total eligible children (1 to 20 years) enrolled during FFY 2020 = 558,042. See About the Child and Teen Checkups Program (CMS-416) Report data for more information.
A preventive dental service includes dental cleanings, fluoride application, dental sealants, fluoride varnish, nutrition and tobacco counseling, or oral hygiene instruction provided by or under the supervision of a dentist. Data is based on all unduplicated counts of paid, unpaid, and denied claims submitted for reimbursement from fee-for-service providers, managed care plans, Indian Health Services, and Federally Qualified Health Centers that contract with the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
During federal fiscal year 2020, C&TC eligible children in Cook County (46%) had the highest dental service use and C&TC eligible children in Pipestone County (19%) had the lowest dental service use. Some counties were statistically different from the statewide rate.