Dental care utilization rates among children have remained unchanged for the past few years and are down from pre-pandemic levels. Further, the gap in utilization between children covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and children covered by private dental benefits is “not shrinking,” according to the latest findings from the ADA Health Policy Institute.
The latest data on the Medicaid dental landscape compiled by HPI indicate that the stagnancy in dental care utilization is mirrored in Medicaid participation rates among dentists. The share of U.S. dentists participating in Medicaid or CHIP is 41% as of 2024 — around the same as it was in 2015.
Source: Dental care utilization stagnant among Medicaid beneficiaries / ADA News