A new report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health reveals that lower-income families in the United States paid 7.4 times more in out-of-pocket dental care expenses compared to high-income families between 2007 and 2021. This stark disparity highlights the growing inequities in access to affordable dental care across income levels.
The report, titled “Lower-Income Families Still Spend More on Dental Care,” shows that the gap in dental care expenditures between the poorest and wealthiest families has widened over time. In 2007, the poorest families paid 5.5 times more, indicating a significant increase in the disparity.
Additionally, the study found that families living in poverty and those with lower incomes were less likely to have visited a dentist in the past year compared to higher-income families.
CareQuest Institute CEO and President Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA, emphasized the need for solutions to make dental coverage and care more accessible and affordable for low-income families. She stated, “While we’ve seen some progress in recent years, policymakers need to do more to fully address these disparities, including expanding Medicaid adult dental coverage.”
The report recommends several measures to address these inequities, including implementing comprehensive Medicaid adult dental benefits in all states, increasing dental provider participation in Medicaid, and supporting safety-net providers serving low-income patients. It also suggests incentivizing oral health providers to practice in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas to improve access to affordable oral health care in underserved regions.
See “Lower-Income Families Spend Seven Times More on Dental Care Than Wealthier Families” (June 25, 2024)