Search Results: MCHLine

Items in this list may be obtained from the sources cited. Contact information reflects the most current data about the source that has been provided to the MCH Digital Library.

Displaying records 1 through 20 (94 total).

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. n.d.. Advancing oral health prevention in primary care: Measures for quality improvement--How to build an advancing oral health prevention in primary care family of measures. Baltimore, MD: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 4 pp.

Annotation: This report provides suggestions for how states that choose to implement programs to advance prevention of oral disease in primary care for beneficiaries of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can select a family of measures to assess progress. It explains what the different measures in the family of measures are (outcome measures, process measures, and balancing measures) and provides measurement strategies for each type of measure.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral heath, Prevention, Primary care, Programs, State Children's Health Insurance Program

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. n.d.. Advancing oral health prevention in primary care driver diagram and change ideas. Baltimore, MD: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 13 pp.

Annotation: This report provides ideas for how states can use a driver diagram on oral health produced by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to advance prevention of oral disease in primary care, plan a quality-improvement (QI) project, and determine how to improve outcomes. The report offers background, presents the driver diagram, explains the driver diagram, and provides ideas for activities to promote change.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral heath, Prevention, Primary care, Programs, State Children's Health Insurance Program

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. n.d.. Advancing oral health prevention in primary care: Getting started on quality improvement. Baltimore, MD: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 1 video (11 min.)

Annotation: This video discusses how children who are Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program beneficiaries can benefit from having fluoride varnish applied to their teeth in the primary care setting. The video shares quality-improvement methods that can help states improve the provision of oral health care to these children by primary care health professionals. Topics include developing an aim statement, using a driver diagram, identifying drivers to consider for achieving the aim, starting small to test whether change ideas are working, and using the plan-do-sudy-act method.

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral heath, Prevention, Primary care, Programs, State Children's Health Insurance Program

Bhaumik D, Hedges I, Zaborowski M, Mujicic M. 2025. What happens if the adult Medicaid dental benefit goes away?. Chicago, IL: American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute, 15 pp. (Research brief)

Annotation: This brief estimates the fiscal impact on states of removing adult Medicaid dental benefits for the 41 states and District of Columbia that offer benefits at the limited or enhanced level. It analyzes medical care costs incurred for emergency department visits, for those with conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and for pregnant women. The brief also provides a review of previous policy changes to several states' Medicaid dental benefits and examines the impact of these changes.

Keywords: Costs, Dental insurance, Emergency rooms, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Pregnant women

CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. 2025. Dental care in crisis: Tracking the cost and prevalence of emergency department visits for non-traumatic dental conditions. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 6 pp.

Annotation: This report focuses on the importance of tracking emergency department use trends for non-traumatic dental care visits. It includes information on the following selected findings during the period 2019–2022: use trends, cost trends, visit rates by age, visit rates for people enrolled in Medicaid compared with those with private insurance, and visit rates for people living in small or medium metropolitan areas compared with those living in a central cosmopolitan county or a rural area.

Keywords: Dental insurance, Emergency room, Geographic factors, Health care utilization, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Trends

Heaton LJ, Cheung HJ, O'Malley J, Santoro M. Preston R, Sonnek A, Tranby EP. 2025. Oral health in America: Who gets left behind?. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 14 pp. (Research report)

Annotation: This report offers a snapshot of how adults experience the oral health system, revealing both progress and ongoing gaps. It provides information on trends in the frequency of dental visits, plans to visit an oral health professional in the next year, and emergency department visits for oral pain. Also discussed are reasons for seeking oral health care outside the United States, types of oral health treatments received from non-licensed professionals, and the consequences of adults reaching or exceeding the annual maximum dollar benefit their insurance plan offered during the past year. In addition, the report addresses the importance of culturally inclusive oral health care.

Keywords: Adult health, Dental insurance, Emergency room, Health systems, Oral health, Trends

Wilson K. 2024. Minimally-invasive care: Policy opportunities to improve dental care access and affordability. Boston, MA: Community Catalyst, Dental Access Project, 6 pp.

Annotation: This brief provides an overview of state-level policies that can support community-level actions to help ensure that communities have access to comprehensive oral health care, as well as federal policies that support the availability of minimally invasive care (MIC). State-level policy considerations discussed include maximizing Medicaid coverage for MIC (coverage of fluoride treatments, reimbursement for teledentistry, and risk management and individualized care); improving private coverage of MIC; and workforce considerations. Federal-level policy considerations discussed include mandatory Medicaid adult benefits, federal standardization of essential health benefits, and comprehensive Medicare dental benefits.

Keywords: Access to health care, Community health, Dental insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Oral health, Public policy

Oregon Health Authority. [2023]. Advancing prevention and reducing childhood caries in Medicaid and CHIP (MAC) Affinity Group, July 2021-December 2022. Portland, OR: Oregon Health Authority, 2 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information on efforts made by the Medicaid and Children’s Health CHIP Affinity Group to prevent and reduce tooth decay in children and adolescents from July 2021 through December 2022. The fact sheet describes the purpose of the group and its activities and goals, offers background on tooth decay among children and adolescents from families with low incomes, and provides the group’s draft aim statement. Baseline data on fluoride varnish application is also included.

Link

Keywords: Dental caries, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Oregon, Prevention, State Children's Health Insurance Program, State information

Schroeder K, Heaton LJ, Santoro M, Martin P, Tranby EP. 2023. Oral hygiene home care practices in America. Boston, MA: CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, 15 pp. (Research brief)

Annotation: This brief provides information on oral hygiene home care practices in the United States. It presents the results of a survey of adults conducted to learn about oral hygiene habits, lifestyle choices, and socioeconomic factors that may affect oral health. The brief discusses brushing and flossing frequency; influences of food- and beverage-related behaviors and tobacco use on oral hygiene practices at home; and the influence of dental insurance type on brushing and flossing behaviors. Statistical information is presented according to age group, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Keywords: Adult health, Age factors, Dental insurance, Ethnic factors, Gender, Oral health, Oral hygiene, Racial factors, Socioeconomic factors, Statistical data, Surveys, Tobacco use

Holt K, Barzel R. 2023. Fluoride varnish for adults: Q&A. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, 1 p.

Annotation: This handout provides information for adults, including pregnant women, about how fluoride varnish can make their teeth more resistant to tooth decay. The handout explains what fluoride varnish is and discusses its safety. It also addresses things to avoid after it is applied to teeth, how long it lasts, how often it should be applied, and whether it is covered by dental insurance. The sheet is written in simple language and is available English and in Spanish. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

Keywords: Adult health, Dental caries, Dental insurance, Fluoride, Oral health, Pregnant women, Prevention, Safety, Spanish language materials

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. [2022]. IDPH school-based sealant program update report: School year 2021-2022. Des Moines, IA: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, 4 pp.

Annotation: This report presents information about the Iowa Department of Health's School-Based Dental Sealant Program for school year 2021–2022. Information is presented, by agency, on the number and percentage of children in the state with a history of tooth decay and with untreated decay relative to the child's payment source for oral health care (private insurance, self-pay, Medicaid, or Hawk-i [a state program that provides health coverage for uninsured children in working families in Iowa]). The report also presents information about children who participated in the National School Lunch Program who received an oral health screening and who received dental sealants. Also presented is information about children who received an oral health screening, received sealants, had a history of decay, had untreated decay, had a dental visit within the last 12 months, and who received fluoride, by payment source, age, sex, and race.

Link

Keywords: Dental caries, Health care utilization, Health insurance, Iowa, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, School age children, School lunch programs, Screening tests, Fluoride, Dental sealants, State information, State programs

Hawaii Oral Health Coalition. [2022]. Reinstating Hawai'i adult Medicaid dental benefits in 2022. Honolulu, HI: Hawaii Public Health Institute, 2 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information about the effects of reinstating Hawai'i's adult Medicaid dental benefits in 2022. Statistics are presented on the number of Hawai'i Medicaid beneficiaries with no diagnostic, preventive, or dental coverage and who visited the emergency department (ED) with a dental-related diagnosis between 2016 and 2020, the total cost of ED visits with a principal dental diagnosis during this period, and the percentage of ER visits with a principal dental diagnosis during this period who were Medicaid beneficiaries. Also provided are estimated savings from reinstating the benefits as well as information about the association between poor oral health and several chronic conditions and other negative health outcomes. [Produced by District of Columbia Department of Health]

Keywords: Access to health care, Chronic illnesses and disabilities, Costs, Dental insurance, Emergency room data, Hawaii, Low income groups, Medicaid, Oral health, Prevention, State information, Statistical data

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 2022. Overview of the dental and oral health service measures in the 2022 child core set. Baltimore, MD: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 4 pp. (Medicaid & CHIP health care quality measures, Technical assistance resource)

Annotation: This resource provides an overview of the three oral health care measures in the 2022 Core Set of Children’s Health Care Quality Measures for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Child Core Set) and highlights differences in the measure specifications. The three measures are sealant receipt on permanent first molars; oral evaluation, dental services; and topical fluoride for children. Links to resources to help states calculate the dental and oral health services measures for Child Core Set reporting are included.

Keywords: Children's Health Insurance Program, Dental sealants, Fluoride, Health services, Medicaid, Oral health

Arkansas Center for Health Improvement. 2022. Utilization of dental care among Arkansas children and adults. Little Rock, AR: Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, 49 pp.

Annotation: This report describes a study to inform policy decisions to improve access to and use of oral health care in Arkansas and to establish baseline measures for coverage and use indicators. Topics include data sources, key findings, study demographics and dental insurance coverage profile, use of care, fluoride varnish applications, dental sealant applications, use of oral health care in medical care settings, hospital emergency department use among uninsured individuals, population-to-active-dentist ratio profile, tooth-extraction-related opioid-prescribing profile, and future research.

Keywords: Access to health care, Arkansas, Data, Dental sealants, Fluoride, Health care utilization, Health insurance, Oral health, Public policy, State information, Uninsured persons

South Dakota Department of Social Services. 2022. Advancing prevention and reducing childhood caries in Medicaid and CHIP. Pierre, SD: South Dakota Department of Social Services, 8 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information on how the Advancing Prevention and Reducing Childhood Caries in Medicaid and CHIP Affinity Group, launched by the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, will provide technical assistance to state Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program agencies and their partners as they design, test, implement, and assess strategies to improve pediatric oral health. The purpose of the group is to help states improve oral health outcomes through the delivery of preventive oral health care. The fact sheet discusses oral health, provides an overview of the group, and presents state team learning objectives.

Link

Keywords: Children, Dental caries, Medicaid, Oral health, Prevention, Quality improvement, State Children's Health Insurance Program

Georgia Department of Public Health. [2021]. Oral health, Georgia PRAMS 2017-2019. Atlanta, GA: Georgia Department of Public Health, 4 pp.

Annotation: This fact sheet provides information about PRAMS in Georgia. It offers background on the importance of oral health care during pregnancy. Data from Georgia’s 2017–2019 PRAMS on the percentage of Georgia women who reported having a dental cleaning during pregnancy and the percentage who reported having dental insurance during pregnancy are presented. Also included is the percentage of Georgia women who needed to see a dentist for a problem during pregnancy and, of those, the percentage who visited a dentist or dental clinic; the percentage who knew it was important to care for there teeth and gums during pregnancy; and the percentage who were told by a health professional how to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy.

Link

Keywords: Data, Data sources, Dental insurance, Georgia, Health care utilization, Oral health, Pregnant women, State information

Caffrey E, Tate AR, Cashion SW, Lee JY, Casamassimo P, Wright R, Litch CS, Essling M. 2021. Are your kids covered? Medicaid coverage for the essential oral health benefits (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 16 pp.

Annotation: This brief evaluates Medicaid coverage for a select group of dental insurance codes that address barriers to optimal oral health care for children. The goal of the brief, which explains how these codes are created and why they are important, is to raise awareness of the codes and of the benefits of advocating for their inclusion in state fee schedules. For each code, the brief offers a rationale, a recommendation, and a list of states that reimburse for the code.

Keywords: Dental caries, Disease prevention, Insurance, Medicaid, Oral health

Delta Dental Plans Association. 2021. The state of America's oral health report. Oak Brook, I: Delta Dental Plans Association, 13 pp.

Annotation: This report presents data about consumers’ oral-health-related behaviors throughout 2020. It provides insights into the public’s awareness of the connection between oral health and overall health. Topics include the importance of oral health to overall health, oral hygiene practices, prioritization of preventive dental visits, and the relationship between having dental insurance and oral health status.

Keywords: Dental hygiene, Health behavior, Health insurance, Oral health, Prevention, Statistical data

Vermont Department of Health. 2019. Vermont PRAMS: Maternal oral health care, 2012-2015. Burlington, VT: Vermont Department of Health, 5 pp.

Annotation: This report provides data for Vermont on oral health care before and during pregnancy for 2012–2015 and overall estimates for 34 PRAMS sites for 2015, which allow comparisons between Vermont and other PRAMS sites. The report shows that women in Vermont were more likely than women in other PRAMS sites to know it is important to care for their teeth and gums during pregnancy, more likely to talk to a health care worker about care of teeth and gums, and more likely to have insurance for oral health care during pregnancy.

Keywords: Data, Data sources, Dental insurance, Health care utilization, Oral health, Pregnant women, State information, Vermont

Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services. 2018. Aligning dental payment policies and periodicity schedules in the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Baltimore, MD: Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services, 4 pp.

Annotation: This bulletin discusses the importance of state Medicaid programs and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIPs) properly implementing dental periodicity schedules to ensure children’s access to dental coverage. Topics include background on tooth decay in children, dental coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, proper implementation of dental periodicity schedules, and state action to ensure dental periodicity and fee schedule alignment and flexibility.

Keywords: Access to health care, Dental insurance, Medicaid, Oral health, Oral health care, State Children's Health Insurance Program, State programs