Rural-urban differences in dental service use among children enrolled in a private dental insurance plan in Wisconsin: analysis of administrative data

Pradeep Bhagavatula; Qun Xiang; Aniko Szabo; Fredrick Eichmiller; Raymond A Kuthy; Christopher E Okunseri

doi:10.1186/1472-6831-12-58

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Rural-urban differences in dental service use among children enrolled in a private dental insurance plan in Wisconsin: analysis of administrative data

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Rural-urban differences in dental service use among children enrolled in a private dental insurance plan in Wisconsin: analysis of administrative data

Pradeep Bhagavatula, Qun Xiang, Aniko Szabo, Fredrick Eichmiller, Raymond A Kuthy and Christopher E Okunseri

BMC oral health, Vol.12(1), 58

12/21/2012

DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-12-58

PMCID: PMC3548684

PMID: 23259637

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Abstract

Studies on rural-urban differences in dental care have primarily focused on differences in utilization rates and preventive dental services. Little is known about rural-urban differences in the use of wider range of dental procedures. This study examined patterns of preventive, restorative, endodontic, and extraction procedures provided to children enrolled in Delta Dental of Wisconsin (DDWI). We analyzed DDWI enrollment and claims data for children aged 0-18 years from 2002 to 2008. We modified and used a rural and urban classification based on ZIP codes developed by the Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (AHEC). We categorized the ZIP codes into 6 AHEC categories (3 rural and 3 urban). Descriptive and multivariable analysis using generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) were used to examine the patterns of dental procedures provided to children. Tukey-Kramer adjustment was used to control for multiple comparisons. Approximately, 50%, 67% and 68% of enrollees in inner-city Milwaukee, Rural 1 (less than 2500 people), and suburban-Milwaukee had at least one annual dental visit, respectively. Children in inner city-Milwaukee had the lowest utilization rates for all procedures examined, except for endodontic procedures. Compared to children from inner-city Milwaukee, children in other locations had significantly more preventive procedures. Children in Rural 1-ZIP codes had more restorative, endodontic and extraction procedures, compared to children from all other regions. We found significant geographic variation in dental procedures received by children enrolled in DDWI.

Multivariate Analysis

Rural Population - statistics & numerical data

Urban Population - statistics & numerical data

Dental Health Services - utilization

Humans

Suburban Population

Insurance, Dental

Child, Preschool

Dental Restoration, Permanent - statistics & numerical data

Infant

Linear Models

Male

Dental Care for Children - utilization

Health Services Accessibility

Adolescent

Female

Poverty Areas

Child

Wisconsin

Oral Health Policy

Details

Title: Subtitle: Rural-urban differences in dental service use among children enrolled in a private dental insurance plan in Wisconsin: analysis of administrative data
Creators: Pradeep Bhagavatula - Department of Clinical Services, Marquette University School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA. pradeep.bhagavatula@mu.edu
Qun Xiang
Aniko Szabo
Fredrick Eichmiller
Raymond A Kuthy
Christopher E Okunseri
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: BMC oral health, Vol.12(1), 58
DOI: 10.1186/1472-6831-12-58
PMID: 23259637
PMCID: PMC3548684
NLM abbreviation: BMC Oral Health
ISSN: 1472-6831
eISSN: 1472-6831
Publisher: England
Grant note: UL1 RR031973 / NCRR NIH HHS 1UL1RR031973 / NCRR NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 12/21/2012
Academic Unit: Preventive and Community Dentistry; Public Policy Center (Archive); Oral Health Policy Research
Record Identifier: 9983917672702771

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