Linking Mother and Child Access to Dental Care

Abstract

Objectives Among young children in low-income families covered by Medicaid, we estimate by racial/ethnic group whether children who have mothers with a regular source of dental care (RSDC) at baseline have greater dental utilization in the following year than children with mothers without a regular source. Patients and Methods From a population of 108,151 children enrolled in Medicaid aged 3 to 6 and their low-income mothers in Washington state, a disproportionate stratified random sample of 11,305 children aged 3 to 6 was selected from enrollment records in four racial/ethnic groups: 3,791 Black; 2,806 Hispanic 1,902 White; and 2,806 other racial/ethnic groups. In a prospective cohort design, we conducted a baseline survey of mothers and for respondents, collected their children’s Medicaid dental claims in the 1-year follow-up period. Mutivariable regression models estimated the associations between the mothers having a RSDC at baseline and their children’s prospective dental utilization. Results About 38% of mothers had a RSDC. Among children of Black and Hispanic mothers, having a mother with a RSDC at baseline was associated with greater odds of receiving any dental care in the following year (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.10-2.62 for children of Black mothers; OR 1.84, CI 1.23-2.73 for children of Hispanic mothers). For children with dental utilization, children of Black or Hispanic mothers with a RSDC received 1.22 (CI 1.08-1.38) and 1.10 (CI 1.01-1.19) more preventive services, respectively. For children of White mothers, associations were in the same direction but not significant. Conclusions For young children of Black and Hispanic mothers, dental care utilization is higher when their mothers have a RSDC. For low-income young children with Medicaid, increasing the mothers’ access to dental care may increase the children’s utilization of dental and preventive services, which, in turn, may reduce racial/ethnic inequalities in oral health.

Determinants of Utilization of Oral Health Services by Postnatal Mothers in Winterveldt, Gauteng Province, South Africa

“…McGrath et al findings were contrary to the present study as they reported that mothers with more than two children were 40% less likely to be regular attendees of oral health services compared to mothers with one or two children [24]. A different study by Grembowski et al also reported contrary to the present study by stating that mothers with greater a number of children (three or more) were also categorized as irregular attenders of oral health services compared to those who had only one or two children [25].…”

Assessment of Mothers’ Oral Health Knowledge: Towards Oral Health Promotion for Infants and Children

“…Even in developed countries, studies indicate that dental care use in young children was better when their mothers had regular dental care [15] [16]. It was also indicated that the lower socioeconomic group especially need extra motivation and help in taking the initiative to visit the dentist [16].…”

Association Between Parents' and Children's Use of Oral Health Services

“…11,12 Beyond these child factors, other parent (eg, education level, age, nativity) and household (eg, family structure and size, language spoken at home, area of residence) factors have been identified as important determinants of children's use of oral health services. [11][12][13][14][15] A broader, multilevel perspective could shed more light on the complex interplay of factors that influence children's (under)use of oral health services and help to inform development of new strategies that will eliminate persistent disparities. A recent approach has been to explore links between children's and parents' use and access to oral health care.…”

“…Enabling or predisposing determinants of use of oral health services among adult caregivers could influence use of oral health services for children within the household. Grembowski et al 13 reported that in Washington state, young children of black and Hispanic mothers who were insured by Medicaid had higher dental care use when their mothers had a regular source of dental care. A cross-sectional study among low-income black children in Detroit found that parents who had preventive dental visits were 5 times as likely to take their children for dental visits when compared with parents who had never been to a dentist or had sought dental care only for treatment.…”