Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Impact Of Wisconsin Medicaid Policy Change On Dental Sealant Utilization, Christopher Okunseri, Elaye Okunseri, Raul I. Garcia, Cesar Gonzales, Alexis Vistocky, Aniko Szabo

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Background

In September 2006, Wisconsin Medicaid changed its policy to allow nondentists to become certified Medicaid providers and to bill for sealants in public health settings.

Objective

This study examined changes in patterns of dental sealant utilization in first molars of Wisconsin Medicaid enrollees associated with a policy change.

Data Source

The Electronic Data Systems of Medicaid Evaluation and Decision Support for Wisconsin from 2001 to 2009.

Study Design

Retrospective claims data analysis of Wisconsin Dental Medicaid for children aged 6-16 years.

Principal Findings

A total of 479,847 children followed up for 1,441,300 person-years with 64,546 visits were analyzed. The …

Differences In Utilization Of Dental Procedures By Children Enrolled In Wisconsin Medicaid And Delta Dental Insurance Plans, Pradeep Bhagavatula, Qun Xiang, Aniko Szabo, Fredrick Eichmiller, Christopher Okunseri

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Few studies have directly compared dental procedures provided in public and private insurance plans for enrollees living in dental health professional shortage areas (DHPSAs). We examined the rates for the different types of dental procedures received by 0–18-year-old children living in DHPSAs and non-DHPSAs who were enrolled in Medicaid and those enrolled under Delta Dental of Wisconsin (DDW) for years 2002 to 2008.

Methods

Medicaid and DDW dental claims data for 2002 to 2008 was analyzed. Enrollees were divided into DDW-DHPSA and non-DHPSA and Medicaid-DHPSA and non-DHPSA groups. Descriptive and multivariable analyses using over-dispersed Poisson regression were performed to …

Mid-Level Dental Care Provider: Awareness And Attitudes Of Ohio’S Dental Hygienists, Cynthia S. Leverich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness and attitudes of dental hygienists in Ohio regarding the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP) as an occupation proposed by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and to determine whether the ADHP could be a viable career option for Ohio dental hygienists.

I developed a survey to assess dental hygienists’ awareness, attitudes, and their views regarding the new mid-level dental provider. The study was limited to licensed dental hygienists in Ohio. The study included a simple random sample of 400 of the 4100 dental hygienists in Ohio obtained by a systematic approach, …

The Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner: An Exploration Of The Patient Perspective Regarding The Advancement Of A Mid-Level Dental Provider, Jacqueline M. Burgess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine patient attitudes and opinions regarding the advancement of a mid-level dental provider, such as the ADHP, in an effort to better understand the perceptions of those who may one day be in a position to receive care from this type of provider. In this quantitative study, I analyzed the differences between those with and without access to dental care and evaluated differences among respondents based upon their socioeconomic and demographic attributes. I collected data from patients treated at Mt. Juliet Family & Cosmetic Dentistry and at the Coweta Samaritan Clinic via a …

Travel Distances By Wisconsin Medicaid Enrollees Who Visit Emergency Departments For Dental Care, Christopher Okunseri, Rabeea Vanevenhoven, Thomas Chelius, Kirsten M.M. Beyer, Elaye Okunseri, William K. Lobb, Aniko Szabo

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: Prior studies document increased numbers of nontraumatic dental condition (NTDC) visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs). However, the influence of travel distance on ED use for NTDCs, particularly for Medicaid enrollees has hitherto received little attention. The authors examined the effect of travel distance on Wisconsin Medicaid enrollees’ NTDC visits to EDs after adjustment for covariates.

Methods: NTDC-related visits claims data for Wisconsin Medicaid (2001-2009) was analyzed. For each enrollee, travel distance to the nearest of 130 EDs in Wisconsin was determined. The number of NTDC visits per person-year was aggregated by ZIP+4 of residence. Negative binomial regression adjusting …