Medicaid Recipients Continue to Use ED for Dental Work

States that provide Medicaid adult dental care still have high rates of dental patients who show up at hospital emergency departments, particularly in urban underserved areas, according to a study released this week. The study — by researchers at Stanford University, UC-San Francisco, Truven Health Analytics and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality — was published in the August issue of Health Affairs.

Researchers said a dearth of dental providers who accept Medicaid patients, particularly in those urban underserved areas, has limited the effectiveness of Medicaid dental coverage in states that provide it. Read more.