Thomas P. Wall

Recent trends in dental emergency department visits in the United States – 1997/1998 to 2007/2008

OBJECTIVE The author focused on recent national trends in dental emergency department (ED) visits. Patients who presented at an ED for a dental condition are described and the author look at the extent to which these patients have changed over time. METHODS This study was based on the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a national probability survey of hospital ED visits. A dental ED visit was defined using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes. RESULTS Between 1997/1998 and 2007/2008, dental ED visits increased from 1.15 to 1.87 percent of total ED visits. The largest increase in the number of dental ED visits per 1,000 persons was found for young adults 20-34 years old. Primary payer, a measure of insurance status, suggests that patients from all income levels participated in the increase. CONCLUSIONS Although dental-related ED visits account for a relatively small percentage of total ED visits, both the number and the percentage of such visits grew from 1997/1998 to 2007/2008. Young adults 20-34 years old were most likely to present at an ED with a dental problem.

Orthodontic dental patients and expenditures—2004

INTRODUCTION In this article, we describe recent trends in the age of patients receiving orthodontic services and look at how expenditures for these services are related to patient age and income level. METHODS These findings are based on 3 national health expenditure surveys sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research conducted in 1987, 1996, and 2004. RESULTS Recent increases in the number of patients receiving orthodontic services were largely due to an increase in the overall population. There has been a shift in the age distribution of patients receiving such services. Children 8 to 18 made up a greater percentage of all patients receiving orthodontic services, but there were fewer adult patients aged 19 years and older. CONCLUSIONS Children 8 to 18 years old made up a larger percentage of patients who received orthodontic services in 2004 compared with 1996 and 1987. The percentage of total dental expenditures of children 8 to 18 for orthodontic services might increase in the future because of less need for restorative services among this segment of the population.

Public dental expenditures and dental visits among children in the U.S., 1996-2004.

Objectives. Congress created the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997 as an expansion of the Medicaid program to provide health insurance to children whose family income is above the Medicaid eligibility standards—generally up to 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). This article examines changes in the utilization of dental services during a period of increasing public funding of dental services. Methods. Public dental expenditure estimates came from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and a breakdown of these expenditures by patient age and income level was based on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Results. According to CMS, funding for dental SCHIP and dental SCHIP expansion grew from

Simple indicators for projecting short-term dental market fluctuations

0 prior to 1998 to

The economics of periodontal diseases.

517 million in 2004. According to the MEPS, between 1996 and 2004 there was an increase in the number and percent of children 2 to 20 years of age who reported a dental visit during the past year. These increases were most notable among children in the 100% to 200% FPL category. Approximately 900,000 more children in this income group visited a dentist in 2003–2004 than in 1996–1997. Children in this income group reported an increase in the amount of mean dental charges paid for by Medicaid and a real increase in mean dental charges per patient from

TRENDS IN TOTAL CARIES EXPERIENCE: PERMANENT AND PRIMARY TEETH

217 to

TRENDS IN UNTREATED CARIES IN PRIMARY TEETH:OF CHILDREN 2 TO 10 YEARS OLD

310. Conclusions. Recent increases in the public funding of dental services targeted to children in the 100% to 200% FPL category were related to increased utilization of dental services among these children from 1996 to 2004.

TRENDS IN UNTREATED CARIES IN PERMANENT TEETH OF CHILDREN 6 TO 18 YEARS OLD

BACKGROUND There have been fluctuations over time in dental care expenditures in the United States. This project aims to develop simple indicators that are easily available to people and that can be useful to predict short-term market fluctuations. METHODS The authors analyzed data concerning 30 variables for the period of 1980 through 2012 for correlations with dental care expenditures during that period, looking for factors that historically moved in a highly correlated manner, either positively or negatively, with dental care expenditures. The authors lagged the factors to determine their potential predictive value for dental care expenditures. RESULTS Personal consumption expenditures and gross domestic product emerged as valid leading indicators for predicting short-term dental market fluctuations. CONCLUSION Two simple measures that are easily available to dentists and others can serve as indicators of short-term fluctuations in the dental marketplace. Their validity as indicators can, and should, be monitored regularly. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS These indicators can be of significant value for practitioners in being alerted to potential market changes and planning to accommodate these changes. Combined, these factors can tell what changes are coming and when they have arrived.