Written by Fatima Yasser
Sunday, March 19, 2023 03:00 PM
Seniors in the United States lack dental insurance, and in 2018, nearly half of all seniors did not receive dental care.Oral health After seniors become eligible for Medicare, the traditional version of which covers medical services, but not dental care, post this on the medicalxpress website.
Among more than 97,000 people, the researchers found a significant decrease in the percentage of people receiving restorative dental care and an increase of nearly 5 percentage points in the number of people who lost all their teeth after they turned 65 and became eligible for Medicare. Their findings are published in the journal Health Affairs .
Older adults have the lowest rates of dental insurance in the United States, and cost is a major barrier for many in seeking dental care. We know that Medicare, by covering Medicare, improves health outcomes and reduces health outcomes. of racial health inequalities among the elderly, but has the exact opposite effect of dental care.
With very limited exceptions, this traditional program does not cover dental services. Plans can offer dental services, but the extent of coverage varies. Federal efforts to expand dental coverage from Medicare have not been successful and political debates about dental benefits are still ongoing.
Simon and his colleagues analyzed national data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys from 2010 to 2019, and examined changes in dental insurance and oral health care immediately after respondents became eligible for Medicare. The surveys included adults in the community population between the ages of 50 and 85.
The team found that program beneficiaries experienced immediate and long-term reductions in the use of dental services after enrollment. While the total number of annual dental visits did not change, the number of visits for restorative procedures, such as fillings or crowns, decreased by 8.7 percent. . Adults also experienced an increase in complete anodontia — the loss of all teeth — which puts people at greater risk of malnutrition, decreased quality of life, and the development of cognitive impairment.
“Tooth loss can have a number of negative effects downstream,” Simon said. “It is associated with several conditions of aging, including impairment and cognitive function.”
The authors note that the survey data used did not allow them to follow the participants for long periods and that the changes detected could be intertwined with other life changes at age 65, such as retirement or obtaining Social Security income. Using other forms of survey data can help investigators focus on high-risk populations, such as adults who live in long-term care facilities, and can help identify and compare benefits offered by dental Medicare Advantage programs.
“Without dental coverage for Medicare-eligible adults, we’re seeing tooth loss rise after age 65 among nearly 1 in 20 adults, which is millions of Americans,” Simon added. “Our findings capture the scale of the problem but also point to the opportunity to improve access to and outcomes for oral health care, should policymakers expand Medicare coverage to include dental services.”
