Children with cleft lip and/or palate experience significant differences in obtaining dental care depending on the type of insurance coverage they have. Those with Medicaid are more often refused care, have fewer checkups, and report less satisfaction with their dental care. These findings were reported in the May 2009 issue of The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal. Parents and caregivers of 171 children ages 7 to 12 with cleft lip and/or palate were interviewed. Although 84.8% of the children received regular dental care, those who did not were predominantly covered by public rather than private insurance. A lack of dentists treating this special needs group may offer an explanation for some of the difficulties in obtaining care. The study did not find distance to a dental care facility to be a factor. However, a limited number of dentists accept public insurance, including Medicaid. The authors note that according to one survey, less than 50% of dentists treat children with Medicaid coverage. A Michigan study is also noted. It found that the number of children receiving dental care increased by 32.3% after the implementation of a program that offered reimbursement rates for Medicaid nearly identical to those of private insurance. The authors of the present study express a need for further research to determine whether increasing the reimbursement rate will increase the percentage of dentists who accept patients with clefts who have Medicaid coverage.
(Source: The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal news release, June 2009, Allen Press)
