Study explores barriers to adolescent oral health
While young children’s overall dental health has improved over the past two decades in the U.S., adolescents have not experienced the same gains, according to new research that seeks to uncover the reasons why.
Led by Rubelisa Oliveira, assistant professor at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in Buffalo, New York, the research team reviewed 7,379 dental visits involving patients aged zero to 19 years at UB Dental — a clinical facility for the dental school — from 2018 to 2023 and found that adolescents aged 12 to 17 years accounted for the highest percentage of missed appointments at 24%.
Their findings suggest that missed dental appointments are indicative of financial, logistical and emotional barriers that affect adolescents’ ability to access timely care. For example, the researchers found in a companion project that anxious caregivers were nearly four times more likely to have anxious adolescents. Adolescents may resist dental visits as they age, especially if they had anxiety-inducing experiences in the past.
The researchers also found that many families were unaware that children older than 12 remain eligible for Medicaid dental coverage — a misunderstanding more common in households where English was not the primary language. Some parents hesitated to make appointments because of confusion about coverage and costs.
Recommendations for removing barriers to adolescent dental care include scheduling family-wide appointments, simplifying Medicaid-eligibility explanations and having a staff member on hand to help parents navigate the health system, according to the research.
Read more: UBNow
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