Dental News - Children on Medicaid receive less care for cleft lip and palate

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Children on Medicaid receive less care for cleft lip and palate

A study has shown that children on public assistance receive less care for cleft lip and/or palate that those with private insurance.
Fred Michmershuizen, DTA

Fred Michmershuizen, DTA

Mon. 10 August 2009

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NEW YORK, NY, USA: Children with cleft lip and/or palate experience significant differences in obtaining dental care depending on the type of insurance coverage they have, according to a study.

Those with Medicaid are more often refused care, have fewer checkups and report less satisfaction with their dental care, according to a report in the May 2009 issue of the Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal, the official publication of the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association.

Parents and caregivers of 171 children ages 7 to 12 with cleft lip and/or palate were interviewed for a study. Although 85 per cent of the children received regular dental care, those who did not were predominantly covered by public insurance rather than private insurance.

(Source: American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association)
 

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