Estimating the Cost Savings of Preventive Dental Services Delivered to Medicaid-Enrolled Children in Six Southeastern States.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To quantify the impact of multiyear utilization of preventive dental services on downstream dental care utilization and expenditures for children.

Data sources/study setting

We followed 0.93 million Medicaid-enrolled children who were 3-6 years old in 2005 from 2005 to 2011. We used Medicaid claims data of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

Study design

We clustered each state's study population into four groups based on utilization of topical fluoride and dental sealants before caries-related treatment using machine learning algorithms. We evaluated utilization rates and expenditures across the four groups and quantified cost savings of preventive care for different levels of penetration.

Data extraction method

SUBMITTER: Lee I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6153169 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature