%0 Journal Article %J Journal of Evidence Based Dental Practice %D 2014 %T Providing dental care coverage to uninsured older US adults who do not use dental care may not result in usage rates similar to those with prior coverage and use %A Vujicic, Marko %K Healthcare %K Insurance %X Subjects The study included adults in the United States who were age 55 years or older. Study Factor The key factor examined in the study was the influence of dental care coverage on dental care use. Outcome Measures The study investigated the link between dental care coverage, dental care use, and personal characteristics for older Americans. The authors examined why older US adults who lack dental care coverage and do not visit the dentist would still have lower dental care use rates than the current insured population if their dental care coverage rates were to expand. Results The authors used data from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study to estimate a multinomial logistic model to analyze the influence of personal characteristics in the grouping of older US adults into those with and those without dental care coverage and dental care use. Compared with persons with no coverage and no dental care use, they found that users of dental care with coverage were more likely to be younger, female, wealthier, college graduates, married, in excellent or very good health, and not missing all their permanent teeth. Conclusions Providing dental care coverage to uninsured older US adults who currently do not visit the dentist will not necessarily result in use rates similar to those with prior coverage and use. The authors offer a model using modifiable factors that may help policy planners facilitate programs to increase dental care coverage uptake and use. %B Journal of Evidence Based Dental Practice %I 14 %V 14 %P 91-92 %G eng %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1532338214000864 %N 2 %4 dental care/dental insurance %$ 999999 %R 10.1016/j.jebdp.2014.04.022