Dental Visit Utilization Procedures and Episodes of Treatment.

Abstract

This investigation describes the factors associated with patients' initial decisions to seek dental care, including the corresponding number of visits and the types of services received during a dental visit episode. Data came from the nationally representative Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Episode-specific dental visits were further classified into three categories, based on type of services received: preventive, treatment-based, or a combination. Among individuals with a visit episode, 78% of the episodes consisted of a single visit. Within an episode, as the number of visits increased, the proportion of initial visits that were of the preventive type decreased.The findings showed that the primary driver of oral healthcare utilization in the United States is preventive care. As new health policy is developed, it is hoped that prevention will remain a central focus in dentistry and that all segments of the population will be able reap its benefits.