More than one-fifth of the New Jersey's children between ages 3 and 18 received no dental care in 2009, according to a new study from Rutger's University.
While an improvement from 2001, when almost one-third of the state's children received no care, the study found that foreign-born children and those without health insurance were still likely to forgo visits to the dentist, according to a university statement.
The report, "New Jersey Children without Dental Services in 2001 and 2009," was prepared by Rutgers' Center for State Health Policy using data from the center's 2001 and 2009 New Jersey Family Health surveys. New Jersey's children generally received improved access to dental care but gaps remain, largely based on race/ethnicity, health insurance status, and family income, the report concluded.
A high percentage of Hispanic children did not have a dental visit in each year, and twice as many black children also were less likely than white children to have had a visit to the dentist in each survey year, the report stated. This group, however, also had the most improvement: Only 28% had not been to a dentist in 2009.
Health insurance status is a major factor when it comes to dental care, the report noted. The rate of uninsurance for New Jersey children fell to 7% in 2009, but the percentage of uninsured children who went without dental care increased to 76%. The majority of publicly insured children are covered by Medicaid/NJ Family Care. Children with employer-sponsored or privately purchased insurance were much more likely to receive dental care.
About half of children whose family's income was below the federal poverty level did not see a dentist in both 2001 and 2009. Also, foreign-born children were much less likely to get dental care than U.S.-born children.
The report also called well-care doctor visits an important indicator of the likelihood of a child receiving dental care, perhaps due to concerted efforts to increase dental referrals in managed care plans and the expansion of dental care in federally qualified health centers. Care for underserved youngsters could be improved with expanded health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, the report concluded.
