Did you know Medicare does not usually include a dental benefit? Findings from a multisite investigation of oral health literacy

Abstract

Objectives Medicare does not usually include a dental benefit. Adults who are unaware of this fact risk unanticipated expenses after retirement. This report will explore the sociodemographic and oral health literacy determinants of this knowledge. Methods Data came from the Multi-Site Oral Health Literacy Research Study, a survey of patients presenting to two university dental clinics. Sociodemographic descriptors included age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, and dental insurance status. Oral health literacy was measured by the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALM-D). Results Only 34 percent of respondents knew the correct answer to the Medicare question. Knowledge was significantly associated with age, race/ethnicity, education level (bivariate only), and REALM-D score. Conclusions Policymakers and those assisting in Medicare enrollment should ensure information regarding dental coverage is communicated in ways that individuals of varying literacy, language, and culture understand what is necessary to make appropriate decisions.

Association of oral health literacy with oral health behaviors, perception, knowledge, and dental treatment related outcomes: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…After exclusion of duplicates, 1,058 studies were screened based on title and abstract, and 67 of those had their full‐texts retrieved for further analysis. After reading the full‐texts, 25 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review and were included in the qualitative analysis . Due to the high clinical and methodological heterogeneity among investigations, only three studies were included in the meta‐analysis .…”

“…The majority of studies were cross‐sectional ( n = 21) ; two were cohorts , one was a case‐control investigation , and one was a clinical trial . In the two cohort studies, the follow‐up period ranged from 6 to 36 months.…”

“…Seventeen studies were conducted in the Unites States . The remaining studies were set in Australia , Belarus , Brazil , Canada , and Iran .…”

“…Subjects were in most cases recruited from university clinics , community dental clinics , households , and hospitals . Three studies did not specify where the subjects were recruited .…”

Integrating Oral Health Care Services Within Medicare

“…Many people are surprised to learn that standard Medicare does not cover routine dental care. In a survey at 2 university dental clinics, 66% of adults surveyed had incorrect conceptions about dental coverage in traditional Medicare plans [4]. Recent activity around the topic of adding a dental benefit to Medicare hopes to change these misperceptions and build support for policy change.…”