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. 2018 Sep;78(4):337-345.
doi: 10.1111/jphd.12278. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Association between type of health insurance and children's oral health, NHANES 2011-2014

Erin L Duffy  1 , Ashley M Kranz  2 , Andrew W Dick  3 , Mark Sorbero  4 , Bradley D Stein  4
Affiliations

Association between type of health insurance and children's oral health, NHANES 2011-2014

Erin L Duffy et al. J Public Health Dent. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the association between type of health insurance (public, uninsured, private, or other) and oral health outcomes for children in the United States using nationally representative surveillance data.

Methods: Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011/12-2013/14), logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of any dental caries and any untreated caries by type of health insurance (public, uninsured, private, and other) for children aged 2-19 years, with adjustment for relevant individual and socioeconomic characteristics.

Results: Among 6,057 children, the odds of having any dental caries or untreated caries was not significantly different for publicly insured and uninsured children compared to privately insured children, when adjusting for family income and education. Children in families with income to poverty ratios <200 percent had greater odds of caries and untreated caries relative to children in families with income to poverty ratios ≥400 percent. Children with less educated parents also experienced greater odds of caries and untreated caries.

Conclusions: Oral health outcomes, after adjusting for covariates, were similar for children with public and private health insurance. However, children in low-income families and with less educated parents had greater odds of untreated caries and dental caries, suggesting that initiatives focused on publicly insured populations may miss other vulnerable children of low socioeconomic status.

Keywords: dentistry; health insurance; oral health; poverty; socioeconomic factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflict of interest to report.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Unadjusted dental caries experience by insurance-type, children aged 2–19 years (NHANES, 2011–2014).
This figure presents the weighted, unadjusted percentage of children with each type of insurance who experienced any caries and any untreated caries. The error bars and value labels in parentheses display the 95% confidence interval around this weighted percentage.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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