National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Access to Care (8)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (1)
- Children/Adolescents (5)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- Decision Making (1)
- (-) Dental and Oral Health (21)
- Disabilities (1)
- Disparities (3)
- Education (1)
- Elderly (3)
- Emergency Department (2)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Healthcare Costs (4)
- Healthcare Utilization (4)
- Health Insurance (5)
- Health Literacy (2)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- Medicaid (6)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (6)
- Medicare (1)
- Medication (3)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Opioids (1)
- Outcomes (1)
- Pain (1)
- Patient Safety (2)
- Practice Patterns (2)
- Prevention (2)
- Provider (1)
- Quality Measures (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Rural Health (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (2)
AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 21 of 21 Research Studies DisplayedShenkman E, Tomar S, Manning D
Feasibility and usability of measuring receipt of sealants in 2 states.
In this study, the authors examined the reliability and validity of the Dental Quality Alliance childhood sealant measure under actual use conditions in Texas and Florida. The 2 states provide care for almost 20% of children in Medicaid nationally. They proposed eliminating the caries risk assessment requirement and incorporating a 3-year look-back period to identify already sealed, missing, or restored molars.
AHRQ-funded; U18 HS025298.
Citation: Shenkman E, Tomar S, Manning D .
Feasibility and usability of measuring receipt of sealants in 2 states.
J Am Dent Assoc 2019 Oct;150(10):839-45. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2019.05.022..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Children/Adolescents, Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Meyerhoefer CD, Zuvekas SH, Farkhad BF
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas SH
The demand for preventive and restorative dental services among older adults.
This study examined the use of preventive and restorative dental services among older adults. Traditional Medicare does not have dental benefits, and older adults must either be employed, have post-retirement dental benefits or spousal coverage, or enroll in a Medicare Advantage program that includes dental coverage. The authors used 2007-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and supplemental data on dental care prices to estimate the demand for dental care. Dental service was not sensitive to out-of-pocket prices. Older adults with private dental insurance increased preventive service by 25%, and dental coverage through Medicaid increased basic and major service use by 23% and 36%. Women used dental insurance more than men.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Meyerhoefer CD, Zuvekas SH, Farkhad BF .
The demand for preventive and restorative dental services among older adults.
Health Econ 2019 Sep;28(9):1151-58. doi: 10.1002/hec.3921..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Elderly, Dental and Oral Health, Medicare, Health Insurance, Access to Care
Suda KJ, Calip GS, Zhou J
Assessment of the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions for infection prophylaxis before dental procedures, 2011 to 2015.
This retrospective cohort study examined the use of antibiotic prophylaxis prescribed before dental procedures with patients who have commercial dental insurance. Data from the Truven insurance network was used for claims from 2009 to 2015. Patients in the study were given an antibiotic prescription 7 days before a dental visit. These patients have an appropriate cardiac diagnosis and the median age was 63 and majority female. The majority of dental visits were classified as diagnostic (70.2%) or and/or preventive (58.8%). There were prevalent comorbidities in some patients including prosthetic joint devices (42.5%) and cardiac conditions at higher risk of adverse outcome from infections (20.9%). It was found that 80.9% of antibiotic prescriptions were deemed to be unnecessary based on guidelines.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Suda KJ, Calip GS, Zhou J .
Assessment of the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions for infection prophylaxis before dental procedures, 2011 to 2015.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 May 3;2(5):e193909. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.3909..
Keywords: Decision Making, Dental and Oral Health, Medication, Practice Patterns, Prevention
Suda KJ, Durkin MJ, Calip GS
Comparison of opioid prescribing by dentists in the United States and England.
The goal of this cross-sectional study was to compare opioid prescribing rates by dentists in the US and England, using data on prescriptions dispensed from outpatient pharmacies and health care settings in 2016 by dentists in both countries. Findings show that the proportion of prescriptions for opioids written by US dentists was 37 times greater than the proportion written by English dentists. US dentists also had a higher number of opioid prescriptions per 1000 population and number of prescriptions per dentist. Dihydrocodeine was the only opioid prescribed by English dentists, while US dentists prescribed a range of opioids containing hydrocodone, codeine, oxycodone, and tramadol, as well as long-acting opioids. The researchers conclude that US dentists adopt measures similar to those used in England to reduce dental opioid prescribing in the United States.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Suda KJ, Durkin MJ, Calip GS .
Comparison of opioid prescribing by dentists in the United States and England.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 May 3;2(5):e194303. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4303..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Medication, Opioids, Pain, Practice Patterns, Provider
Gross AE, Hanna D, Rowan SA
Successful implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program in an academic dental practice.
Researchers created a comprehensive antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) for dental practices. A baseline needs assessment and literature evaluation was conducted by a team of dentists, pharmacists, and physician leaders. An academic dental center in Illinois that is the state’s largest oral health provider for Medicaid recipients was used. After intervention with the ASP, there was a 72.9% decrease in antibiotic prescribing for urgent care visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Gross AE, Hanna D, Rowan SA .
Successful implementation of an antibiotic stewardship program in an academic dental practice.
Open Forum Infect Dis 2019 Mar;6(3):ofz067. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz067..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Dental and Oral Health, Medication, Patient Safety
Abdus S, Decker SL
AHRQ Author: Abdus S, Decker SL
Association between Medicaid adult nonemergency dental benefits and dental services use and expenditures.
AHRQ researchers compared nonemergency dental services use in states with and without Medicaid adult nonemergency dental benefits. Dental use increased in states with the Medicaid dental benefit. Out-of-pocket expenses decreased approximately 19 percent in covered states.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Abdus S, Decker SL .
Association between Medicaid adult nonemergency dental benefits and dental services use and expenditures.
J Am Dent Assoc 2019 Jan;150(1):24-33. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2018.08.010..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Utilization, Medicaid, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Lipton BJ, Wherry LR, Miller S
AHRQ Author: Lipton BJ, Decker S
Previous Medicaid expansion may have had lasting positive effects on oral health of non-Hispanic black children.
The researchers estimated the relationship between adult oral health and the extent of state public health insurance eligibility for pregnant women, infants, and children throughout childhood separately for non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics. They found that expanded Medicaid coverage geared toward pregnant women and children during their first year of life was linked to better oral health in adulthood among non-Hispanic blacks.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Lipton BJ, Wherry LR, Miller S .
Previous Medicaid expansion may have had lasting positive effects on oral health of non-Hispanic black children.
Health Aff 2016 Dec;35(12):2249-58. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2016.0865.
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Keywords: Medicaid, Dental and Oral Health, Children/Adolescents, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Horner-Johnson W, Dobbertin K
Dental insurance and dental care among working-age adults: differences by type and complexity of disability.
The purpose of this study was to examine differences in dental insurance, receipt of dental checkups, and delayed and unmet needs for dental care by type and complexity of disability. It found that all disability types except hearing had significantly higher adjusted odds of being without dental insurance, as did people with complex activity limitations. Further, disparities in care were apparent even when controlling for presence of dental insurance.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Horner-Johnson W, Dobbertin K .
Dental insurance and dental care among working-age adults: differences by type and complexity of disability.
J Public Health Dent 2016 Sep;76(4):330-39. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12160.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Dental and Oral Health, Disabilities, Health Insurance, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Berdahl T, Hudson J, Simpson L
AHRQ Author: Berdahl T, Hudson J
Annual report on children's health care: dental and orthodontic utilization and expenditures for children, 2010-2012.
The researchers examined general dental and orthodontic utilization and expenditures by health insurance status, public health insurance eligibility, and sociodemographic characteristics among children aged 0 to 17 years using data from 2010-2012. Overall, 41.9 percent of US children reported an annual dental office-based visit for general (nonorthodontic) dental care.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Berdahl T, Hudson J, Simpson L .
Annual report on children's health care: dental and orthodontic utilization and expenditures for children, 2010-2012.
Acad Pediatr 2016 May-Jun;16(4):314-26. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2016.02.013.
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Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Children/Adolescents, Dental and Oral Health, Healthcare Costs, Health Insurance
Figueiredo R, Dempster L, Quinonez C
Emergency department use for dental problems among homeless individuals: a population-based cohort study.
The researchers evaluated emergency department (ED) visits for dental problems among Toronto's homeless population (Ontario, Canada). They found that over 80% of the ED visits by homeless people were for odontogenic infections, and 46% of homeless people had more than one such visit. They concluded that access to dental care is inadequate and that ED settings are ineffective for treatment of dental problems.
AHRQ-funded; HS014129.
Citation: Figueiredo R, Dempster L, Quinonez C .
Emergency department use for dental problems among homeless individuals: a population-based cohort study.
J Health Care Poor Underserved 2016;27(2):860-8. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2016.0081.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Dental and Oral Health, Emergency Department, Vulnerable Populations
Weintraub JA, Burgette JM, Chadwick DG
Educating North Carolina's oral health workforce in an evolving environment.
In 2014, North Carolina had 4,681 actively practicing dentists and ranked 47th among US states in dentist-to-population ratio. The need for dentists is increasing as the population grows, and underserved areas persist. This commentary discusses the impact of the state's 2 dental schools and external factors on dental workforce trends.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Weintraub JA, Burgette JM, Chadwick DG .
Educating North Carolina's oral health workforce in an evolving environment.
N C Med J 2016 Mar-Apr;77(2):107-11. doi: 10.18043/ncm.77.2.107..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Education, Access to Care, Rural Health, Vulnerable Populations
Burgette JM, Lee JY, Baker AD
Is dental utilization associated with oral health literacy?
The objectives of this study were to examine the pattern of association between dental utilization and oral health literacy (OHL). After adjusting for age, education, race, marital status, self-efficacy, and dental knowledge, multiple linear regression showed that dental utilization was not a significant predictor of OHL.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Burgette JM, Lee JY, Baker AD .
Is dental utilization associated with oral health literacy?
J Dent Res 2016 Feb;95(2):160-6. doi: 10.1177/0022034515617457..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Healthcare Utilization, Health Literacy
Decker SL, Lipton BJ
AHRQ Author: Decker SL
Do Medicaid benefit expansions have teeth? The effect of Medicaid adult dental coverage on the use of dental services and oral health.
This article examines the effect of Medicaid adult dental coverage on use of dental care and dental health outcomes using state-level variation in dental coverage during 2000-2012. Its findings imply that dental coverage is associated with an increase in the likelihood of a recent dental visit, with the size of the effect increasing with Medicaid payment rates to dentists, and a reduction in the likelihood of untreated dental caries.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Decker SL, Lipton BJ .
Do Medicaid benefit expansions have teeth? The effect of Medicaid adult dental coverage on the use of dental services and oral health.
J Health Econ 2015 Dec;44:212-25. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2015.08.009.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Dental and Oral Health, Health Insurance, Healthcare Utilization, Medicaid, Outcomes
Fingar KR, Smith MW, Davies S
AHRQ Author: Stocks C
Medicaid dental coverage alone may not lower rates of dental emergency department visits.
This study examined county-level rates of ED visits for nontraumatic dental conditions in twenty-nine States in 2010 in relation to dental provider density and Medicaid coverage of nonemergency dental services. It found that county-level Medicaid-funded dental ED visit rates were lower in states where Medicaid covered nonemergency dental services than in other states, although this difference was not significant after other factors were adjusted for.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201200003I; HS021700.
Citation: Fingar KR, Smith MW, Davies S .
Medicaid dental coverage alone may not lower rates of dental emergency department visits.
Health Aff 2015 Aug;34(8):1349-57. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0223..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Emergency Department, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Comparative Effectiveness, Medicaid
Malecki K, Wisk LE, Walsh M
Oral health equity and unmet dental care needs in a population-based sample: findings from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin.
The authors explored individual-, psychosocial-, and community-level predictors of oral health status in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin Oral Health Screening project. Their results suggested that costs were a primary predictor of access to care and poor oral health status, underscoring the role that primary care, in conjunction with dental health care providers, could play in promoting oral health care, particularly in reducing barriers and promoting preventive health behaviors.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Malecki K, Wisk LE, Walsh M .
Oral health equity and unmet dental care needs in a population-based sample: findings from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin.
Am J Public Health 2015 Jul;105 Suppl 3:S466-74. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2014.302338.
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Keywords: Access to Care, Dental and Oral Health, Disparities, Healthcare Costs, Health Services Research (HSR)
Horner-Johnson W, Dobbertin K, Beilstein-Wedel E
Disparities in dental care associated with disability and race and ethnicity.
The purpose of this study was to determine how the combination of disability and race and ethnicity is associated with dental examinations, delays in receiving needed care, and inability to obtain needed care among noninstitutionalized working-age adults in the United States. It found that, compared with non-Hispanic whites, other racial and ethnic groups were less likely to receive annual dental examinations.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Horner-Johnson W, Dobbertin K, Beilstein-Wedel E .
Disparities in dental care associated with disability and race and ethnicity.
J Am Dent Assoc 2015 Jun;146(6):366-74. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2015.01.024..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Dental and Oral Health, Disparities
Dumas SA, Polk D
Pediatric dental clinic location and utilization in a high-resource setting.
This study examined dental utilization by Medicaid-insured children living in a high-resource area and characterized distance and travel-related variables to accessing care. It concluded that closer proximity may contribute to the higher utilization of services observed compared with national rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS019486.
Citation: Dumas SA, Polk D .
Pediatric dental clinic location and utilization in a high-resource setting.
J Public Health Dent 2015 Summer;75(3):183-90. doi: 10.1111/jphd.12086.
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Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Healthcare Utilization, Dental and Oral Health, Access to Care, Medicaid
Mody L
Preventing aspiration pneumonia in high-risk nursing home residents: role of chlorhexidine-based oral care questioned again.
This commentary discusses a study by Juthani-Mehta et al in this issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases that adds more steam to the ongoing controversy of the value of chlorhexidine-based oral care by challenging an earlier study. That study found that the odds of dying from pneumonia in those who did not receive oral care was >3 times that of the group receiving oral care. By contrast, the Juthani-Mehta et al study finds no benefit to chlorhexidine use.
AHRQ-funded; HS019979.
Citation: Mody L .
Preventing aspiration pneumonia in high-risk nursing home residents: role of chlorhexidine-based oral care questioned again.
Clin Infect Dis 2015 Mar 15;60(6):858-9. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciu941..
Keywords: Nursing Homes, Dental and Oral Health, Elderly, Patient Safety
Manski RJ, Moeller JF, Chen H
AHRQ Author: Manski RJ
Dental use and expenditures for older uninsured Americans: the simulated impact of expanded coverage.
The purpose of this paper is to empirically determine if insurance alone would close the current gaps in dental use and expenditures between insured and uninsured older Americans. Comparing simulated dental use and expenditures rates of newly insured persons against the corresponding rates for those previously insured, the authors found that it would close previous gaps in use and expense.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Manski RJ, Moeller JF, Chen H .
Dental use and expenditures for older uninsured Americans: the simulated impact of expanded coverage.
Health Serv Res. 2015 Feb;50(1):117-35. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12205..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Dental and Oral Health, Health Insurance, Elderly, Healthcare Costs
Smith W, Brach C, Horowitz AM
AHRQ Author: Brach C
Poor oral health literacy: why nobody understands you.
The authors examined the mistaken interpretation of the word “individuals” to be limited almost exclusively to citizens and patients. They identified gaps in knowledge, understanding, and practices regarding caries prevention among the public and all provider groups.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Smith W, Brach C, Horowitz AM .
Poor oral health literacy: why nobody understands you.
J Dent Hyg 2015 Feb;89 Suppl 1:36-8.
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Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Health Literacy, Prevention
Kranz AM, Rozier RG, Preisser JS
Examining continuity of care for Medicaid-enrolled children receiving oral health services in medical offices.
To understand continuity of oral health services for Medicaid-enrolled children utilizing the North Carolina (NC) Into the Mouths of Babes (IMB) preventive oral health program, the researchers examined the time to a dentist visit after a child’s third birthday. They found that children with only IMB visits compared to only dentist visits before age 3 had lower rates of dentist visits after their third birthday.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Kranz AM, Rozier RG, Preisser JS .
Examining continuity of care for Medicaid-enrolled children receiving oral health services in medical offices.
Matern Child Health J 2015 Jan;19(1):196-203. doi: 10.1007/s10995-014-1510-3..
Keywords: Access to Care, Children/Adolescents, Community-Based Practice, Dental and Oral Health, Medicaid