Medicaid dental service use among children
Dental service use among Medicaid eligible children by:
Health Programs offer dental visits to children
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 programs 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 dental visit each year, starting by the child’s first birthday, when the first tooth appears, or whichever occurs first. Dental 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 dental service use among children:
- Ages 1 to 20 years
- Enrolled in a Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) for at least 90 consecutive days
- By federal fiscal year (October 1 through September 30).
A dental service is any diagnostic, preventive, or treatment service provided by or under the supervision of a dentist. See the Minnesota Department of Human Services Minnesota medical programs for more in-depth information. For more information visit: About the CTC Program (CMS-416) report data.
During federal fiscal year 2017, 4 out of 10 Minnesota C&TC eligible children (40%) had at least one dental service
4 out of every 10
C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years)
(40.2%, 95% CI = 40.1 to 40.3; n =236,133 of 587,190)
Have at least one dental service
FFY 2017
Dental service use among C&TC eligible children by age, federal fiscal year 2017
| Age group (years) | Number of C&TC eligible children | Number of C&TC eligible children with at least one dental service | Percent C&TC eligible children dental service use within age groups (row percent) | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 | 27,076 | 191 | 0.7% | 0.6 to 0.8 |
| 1 to 2 | 73,436 | 9,474 | 12.9% | 12.7 to 13.1 |
| 3 to 5 | 99,989 | 40,552 | 40.6% | 40.3 to 40.9 |
| 6 to 9 | 128,010 | 64,691 | 50.5% | 50.3 to 50.8 |
| 10 to 14 | 145,730 | 70,305 | 48.2% | 48.0 to 48.5 |
| 15 to 18 | 99,252 | 40,047 | 40.3% | 40.0 to 40.7 |
| 19 to 20 | 40,773 | 11,453 | 28.1% | 27.7 to 28.5 |
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 (1 to 20 years) enrolled during FFY 2017 = 614,266.
Among C&TC eligible children who received a dental service during federal fiscal year 2017, the majority were between the ages of 3 to 18 years. However, half to less than half of each age group received the recommended yearly dental visit. Most notable, are the very low proportion of 0 to 3 year olds and 19 to 20 year olds who received at least one dental service.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend at least one dental visit each year, starting by the child’s first birthday or when the first tooth appears. Dental visits are important to maintain healthy gums and teeth, prevent dental disease, and identify any treatment needs.
Dental service use among C&TC eligible children by race and ethnicity, federal fiscal year 2017
| 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 dental service | Percent C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) with at least one dental service within race and ethnicity groups (row percent) | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic/Latino | 45,439 | 20,250 | 44.6% | 44.1 to 45.0 |
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 14,589 | 6,354 | 43.6% | 42.7 to 44.4 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 31,843 | 13,332 | 41.9% | 41.3 to 42.4 |
| White | 208,637 | 89,976 | 39.8% | 39.6 to 40.0 |
| African American or Black | 87,582 | 34,586 | 39.5% | 39.2 to 39.8 |
| Two or more races | 27,656 | 10,545 | 38.1% | 37.6 to 38.7 |
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 (FFY) (October 1 through September 30). Total eligible children (1 to 20 years) enrolled during FFY 2017 with a known single race and ethnicity or mixed race = 472,416 Unknown or missing race and ethnicity (not shown in this chart) = 68,090 with at least one dental service out of 171,444 eligible. Two or more races = any combination of two or more single race and ethnicity.
This chart represents percent dental service use across 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 2017, non-White children were 3 percent more likely to receive a dental service than White children.
C&TC eligible children (1 to 20 years) dental service use, federal fiscal year 2017
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 2017 = 587,190. A dental service is any diagnostic, preventive, or treatment service 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. See About the Child and Teen Checkups Program (CMS-416) Report data for more information.During federal fiscal year 2017, non-White children were 3 percent more likely to receive a dental service than White children.
Cook County C&TC eligible children (57 percent) had the highest dental service use and Rock County C&TC eligible children (19 percent) had the lowest dental service use of all counties. However, county dental service use rates were not statistically different.