Study Reports Large Gaps in Access to Dental Care
A policy brief from UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows low-income California adults are less likely to receive regular dental checkups and more likely to visit the dentist for specific problems than those with higher incomes.
A policy brief from UCLA Center for Health Policy Research shows low-income California adults are less likely to receive regular dental checkups and more likely to visit the dentist for specific problems than those with higher incomes.
Among adults with the lowest incomes, 59% had seen a dentist within the last year when compared with 80% of California with higher-income residents. This finding was true for residents with private dental insurance, as 75% of the lowest-income adults and 85% of higher-income residents had been to the dentist in the past year, according to the policy brief.
The center also found 41% of adults in the lowest-income group visited the dentist for specific problems when compared to 23% in the higher-income group.
Researchers based their findings on the 2017 and 2018 data from the center’s California Health Interview Survey.
