Oral care for children

Oral care for children varies depending upon out-of-pocket costs

For all parents, their child's well being is a number one priority. But with barriers in the health care system, everything from affordable insurance to quality physicians, providing for their child is sometimes challenging. According to a new poll on children's health, nearly 12 million children in the United States face difficulties accessing much needed dental care.

The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that only 78 percent of children received regular dental care when out-of-pocket costs were more than $25, compared to 92 percent when the cost was $25 or less. The study, which surveyed 1,608 adults, also found that 16 percent of children have no dental coverage. Nearly one quarter of parents reported "costs too much" as a challenge in providing dental care for their child.

"We asked parents how they access dental health services: whether they had problems accessing services, how often they took their children to the dentist, and whether they experienced barriers to receiving that care," says Matthew Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P. and director of the National Poll on Children's Health. "When we looked at factors associated with not getting regular dental care one factor that leapt out at us was being uninsured for dental care. We found that while overall, 18 percent of all kids did not get regular dental care, for children without coverage, over 40 percent did not get regular dental care."

In addition, for parents whose children have public health insurance, 14 percent reported difficulty finding dentists who accept their insurance, compared to eight percent for privately insured children.

"The good news is that over 80 percent of children are getting regular dental care and that only 16 percent of children have no dental coverage. These numbers are better than expected based on other national numbers from past years," Davis says. "The bad news in terms of children's oral health is that we still have big gaps when it comes to kids without dental insurance getting the care they need."