Dental Claims Research Articles

The impact of underutilization of preventive dental care by adult Medicaid participants.

ObjectiveTo ascertain the financial impact associated with the underutilization of preventive dental care for adults enrolled in Medicaid.MethodsWe used adult claims data for patients aged 21–64 in the IBM Watson Marketscan Medicaid database. Enrollees were included if they had at least one dental claim in 2019 and were continuously enrolled between 2014 and 2019. We then evaluated the costs of their dental care in 2019, based on the number of years of preventive dental care they received between 2014 and 2018. We also assessed Emergency Department (ED) utilization for dental conditions, oral surgeries, and dental‐related opioid prescriptions.ResultsThe average Medicaid enrollee with five continuous years of preventive care prior to 2019 experienced 43% lower costs than an individual who received no preventive dental care at all. Most of the savings were a result of fewer oral surgeries. A Medicaid enrollee with no preventive dental visits was eight times more likely to have an ED visit for a nontraumatic dental condition (NTDC), seven times more likely to have oral surgery and six times more likely to receive a dental‐related opioid prescription compared to those who had a dental prevention visit every year in the 5‐year lookback period.ConclusionsRegular preventive dental care in the lookback period was associated with significant savings in overall dental care costs when compared to dental care costs for those individuals who received no or few preventive visits. Prior preventive dental care was also associated with lower rates of ED‐NTDC utilization, oral surgery, and dental‐related opioid prescriptions.

A cross-sectional analysis of oral health care spending over the life span in commercial- and Medicaid-insured populations

BackgroundLife course theory creates a better framework to understand how oral health care needs and challenges align with specific phases of the life span, care models, social programs, and changes in policy. MethodsThe authors obtained data from the 2018 IBM Watson Multi-State Medicaid MarketScan Database (31 million claims) and the 2018 IBM Watson Dental Commercial and Medicare Supplemental Claims Database (45 million claims). The authors conducted analysis comparing per enrollee spending on fee-for-service dental claims and medical spending on oral health care for patients from ages 0 through 89 years. ResultsOral health care use rate and spending are lower during the first 4 years of life and in young adulthood than in other periods of life. Stark differences in the timing, impact, and severity of caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancer are seen between those enrolled in Medicaid and commercial dental plans. Early childhood caries and oral cancer occur more frequently and at younger ages in Medicaid populations. ConclusionsThis life span analysis of the US multipayer oral health care system shows the complexities of the current dental service environment and a lack of equitable access to oral health care. Practical ImplicationsHealth policies should be focused on optimizing care delivery to provide effective preventive care at specific stages of the life span.

Civil Rights Litigation Involving the Dental Care of Incarcerated Persons.

Individuals incarcerated in jails, prisons, and detention centers are unique because they have an entitlement to health care under the U.S. constitution; however, the dental care they receive is highly variable in scope and quality. We identified federal civil rights lawsuits related to dental care by incarcerated individuals that were decided in federal district courts in 2018 and courts of appeals since 1976. Judges dismissed or denied the majority of dental claims. Courts have little guidance to inform decisions relating to dental care because cases rarely have a dental expert and the dental profession has not set forth recommendations about the scope of correctional dental care. In the absence of guidance from the dental profession, oral health policy decisions have been left to the discretion of the courts and correctional administrators (nondentists), yielding inconsistent and often detrimental results.

Validity of diagnoses and procedures in Japanese dental claims data

BackgroundDental claims data have been used for epidemiological studies without establishing the validity of the recorded diagnoses or procedures. The present study aimed to examine the accuracy of diagnoses, procedures, operation time, and the number of teeth recorded in dental claims data.MethodsWe reviewed the charts of 200 patients who visited and 100 patients who were hospitalized in the Department of General Dentistry, Orthodontics, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in an academic hospital between August 2012 and December 2017. The sensitivity and specificity of the dental claims data for five diseases and 15 procedures were evaluated. We assessed the difference in the number of teeth and duration of general anesthesia between claims data and chart reviews.ResultsSensitivity was more than 86% for six out of seven diagnoses except for pericoronitis (67%). Specificity ranged from 72% (periodontal disease) to 100% (oral cancer for inpatient). The sensitivity of procedures ranged from 10% (scaling for inpatient) to 100%, and the specificity ranged from 6% (food intake on the day of the surgery) to 100%. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) number of teeth in the chart review was 22.6 (6.8), and in the dental claims was 21.6 (8.6). The mean (SD) operation time was 171.2 (120.3) minutes, while the duration of general anesthesia was 270.9 (171.3) minutes.ConclusionsThe present study is the first study to validate dental claims data, and indicates the extent of usefulness of each diagnosis and procedure for future dental research using administrative data.

The impact of dental Medicaid reform on dental care provider activity and market penetration of dental support organizations

BackgroundMedicaid state dental programs have experienced changes related to provider practice settings with the increased growth of dental support organizations (DSOs). The authors conducted this study to assess the impact of state Medicaid reform on the dental practice environment by examining provider activity and practice setting. MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of more than 13 million dental claims in the Virginia Medicaid program. It included children and dental care providers in the Virginia dental Medicaid program at some time during a 9-year period (fiscal years 2003-2011). The independent variable was the provider practice setting: private practice, DSO, and safety-net practice. The outcomes included annual measures of claims, patients, and payments per provider. The outcomes were examined over 3 phases of the study period: prereform (2003-2005), implementation phase (2006-2008), and postreform maturation (2009-2011). ResultsProvider activity increased after dental program reform, with private-practice providers delivering most of the dental care in the Medicaid program. There was a significant penetration of DSO providers in number of providers, claims per provider, and patients per provider (P < .001). Regression results found that providers in DSO settings had an increased number of patients and claims compared with private-practice providers. ConclusionsMedicaid reform has resulted in a significant increase in provider participation and growth of DSO-affiliated providers. Practical ImplicationsAreas of the state with more dense population had a higher penetrance of dentists practicing in DSO settings providing dental services to children enrolled in Medicaid.

Measuring the quality of dental care among privately insured children in the United States.

To examine whether quality of dental care varies by age and over time and whether community-level characteristics explain these patterns. Deidentified medical and dental claims from a commercial insurer from January 2015 to December 2019. A retrospective cohort study. The primary outcome was a composite quality score, derived from seven dental quality measures (DQMs), with higher values corresponding to better quality. Hierarchical regression models identified person- and zip code-level factors associated with the quality. Continuously enrolled US dental insurance beneficiaries younger than 21 years of age. Quality was assessed for 4.88 million person-years covering 1.31 million persons. Overall quality slightly improved over time, mostly driven by substantial improvements among children aged 0-5 years by 0.153 points/year (95% confidence interval [CI]:0.151, 0.156). Quality was poorest and declined over time among adolescents with only 20.5% of DQMs met as compared to 42.6% among aged 0-5 years in 2019. Dental professional shortage, median household income, percentages of African Americans, unemployed, and less-educated populations at the zip code level were associated with the composite score. Quality of dental care among adolescents remains low, and place of residence influenced the quality. Increasing the supply of dentists and oral health promotion strategies targeting adolescents and low-performing localities should be explored.

Association between number of teeth and Alzheimer's disease using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan.

Associations of numbers of teeth present and of missing teeth with Alzheimer’s disease were cross-sectionally analyzed using the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan. Dental care claims data of patients aged 60 years or older diagnosed with periodontitis (n = 4,009,345) or missing teeth (n = 662,182) were used to obtain information about the numbers of teeth present and of missing teeth, respectively, and they were combined with medical care claims data including the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Numbers of teeth present and of missing teeth excluding third molars were calculated using the dental formula in the claims for periodontitis and missing teeth, respectively, and categorized into three groups each. Percentages of subjects treated for Alzheimer’s disease with 20–28, 10–19, and 1–9 teeth present were 1.95%, 3.87%, and 6.86%, respectively, in patients diagnosed as having periodontitis, and those treated for Alzheimer’s disease with 1–13, 14–27, and 28 missing teeth were 2.67%, 5.51%, and 8.70%, respectively, in patients diagnosed as having missing teeth. Logistic regression models using treatment for Alzheimer’s disease as an outcome variable and adjusting for age and sex showed that odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for patients with 10–19 and 1–9 teeth (reference: 20–28 teeth) were 1.11 (1.10–1.13) and 1.34 (1.32–1.37), respectively, (p<0.001), in patients diagnosed as having periodontitis, and odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for patients with 14–27 missing teeth and 28 missing teeth (reference: 1–13 missing teeth) were 1.40 (1.36–1.44) and 1.81 (1.74–1.89), respectively, (p<0.001), in patients diagnosed as having missing teeth. In conclusion, the results of the present study using Japanese dental claims data showed that older people visiting dental offices with fewer teeth present and a greater number of missing teeth are more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease.

What is the societal economic cost of poor oral health among older adults in the United States? A scoping review.

ObjectiveTo assess the state of the literature in the United States quantifying the societal economic cost of poor oral health among older adults.BackgroundProponents of a Medicare dental benefit have argued that addressing the growing need for dental care among the US older adult population will decrease costs from systemic disease and other economic costs due to oral disease. However, it is unclear what the current economic burden of poor oral health among older adults is in the United States.MethodsWe conducted a scoping review examining the cost of poor oral health among older adults and identified cost components that were included in relevant studies.ResultsOther than oral cancer, no studies were found examining the economic costs of poor oral health among older adults (untreated tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss and chronic disease/s). Only two studies examining the costs of oral cancer were found, but these studies did not assess the full economic cost of oral cancer from patient, insurer and societal perspectives.ConclusionsFuture work is needed to assess the full economic burden of poor oral health among older adults in the United States, and should leverage novel linkages between medical claims data, dental claims data and oral health outcomes data.

Data resource profile: JMDC claims database sourced from health insurance societies.

JMDC, Inc. (JMDC) has created a database, using data collected from health insurance societies in Japan, consisting of ledgers of insureds, claims (for hospitalization, outpatient treatment, drug preparation, and dental treatment), and health checkup results. The earliest data are from the claims in January 2005, except dental claims from December 2009 and health checkup results from April 2008. Currently (the end of June 2020), the number of insureds included is approximately 9.8 million. This database is unique for Japan and has the following characteristics: (a) the basic population can be ascertained; (b) standardization is carried out using a dictionary; and (c) anonymized individual IDs can be followed on the basis of a time‐series over various periods, with the earliest starting date being January 2005. However, it has certain limitations, in that the disease status and test results cannot be ascertained, and there is insufficient access to data for elderly people.

Survival of silver diamine fluoride among patients treated in community dental clinics: a naturalistic study

BackgroundSilver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a minimally-invasive preventive service used in the U.S. to avert and arrest caries since 2014. No studies document survival outcomes based in real world delivery. We analyzed 12-month survival outcomes of SDF applied independently or concurrently with other restorative procedures among a population receiving community dental care.MethodsWe analyzed data on SDF applications from de-identified dental claims on Oregon Health Plan patients served by Advantage Dental in 2016, who had been seen in 2015 (patient n = 2269; teeth n = 7787). We compared survival rates of SDF alone, SDF applied with a sedative filling, and SDF with a same-day restoration. Failure was defined as a restoration or extraction of the tooth 7 to 365 days after initial application. Survival was defined as a patient returning 180 or more days after application whose tooth did not have a restoration or extraction. Differences were assessed through Wilcoxon equality of survivor function tests and log-rank equality of survivor tests to compare failure rates, Cox Proportional Hazards models to assess factors associated with survival of SDF, and Kaplan–Meier survival estimate to calculate the probability of survival over time.ResultsSDF alone had an overall survival rate of 76%. SDF placed with sedative filling and with a same-day restoration had survival rates of 50% and 84% respectively, likely reflecting treatment intent. SDF alone survived exceptionally well on primary cuspids, permanent molars, and permanent bicuspids and among patients aged 10 to 20 years, with modest variation across caries risk assessment categories. A single annual application of SDF was successful in 75% of cases. Among SDF failures on permanent dentition, more than two-thirds of teeth received a minor restoration.ConclusionSDF is a minimally invasive non-aerosolizing option that prevented non-cavitated lesions and arrested early decay among community dentistry patients when applied independently or concurrently with restorative procedures. Professional organizations, policy makers, providers, and payors should broaden optional SDF use by informing clinical guidelines, reimbursement policies, and treatment decisions. Future research should address clinical, social, service delivery, workforce, and economic outcomes using diverse population-based samples, and the mechanisms underlying single application success and caries prevention potential.

1359. Utilization of West Virginia Pediatric Medicaid Claims Data to Guide Outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance is a significant public health risk with overuse and misuse of antibiotics as primary drivers. West Virginia (WV) leads the nation in per capita prescribing in the outpatient setting, where the majority of antibiotic use occurs.MethodsWe analyzed outpatient pharmacy and medical claims for WV Medicaid recipients age < 20 years from 1/1/2018 – 12/31/2019. Dental claims were excluded. Oral antibiotics were identified using National Drug Codes (NDCs). Key demographic variables extracted from the claims include patient age (as of December 31st of that calendar year [CY]), sex, race, ethnicity, Medicaid region, place of medical service, provider, and cost. Rates of prescribing were calculated as the number of prescriptions per 1,000 children and stratified by age, race/ethnicity, sex, and WV Medicaid region. We used geographic information system (GIS) mapping to depict geographic variation in prescribing by county. Oral antibiotic prescriptions were compared across CY 2018 and 2019 including spectrum of antibiotic coverage.ResultsIn CY 2018, 204,576 pediatric patients received 237,759 antibiotics (1,162 prescriptions/1,000 children). In 2019, 201,520 pediatric patients received 227,440 antibiotics (1,129 prescriptions/1,000 children). Prescription rates were higher among females, Caucasians and a younger (0-2) age group (Table 1). Antibiotics were more commonly prescribed by non-physician (e.g. nurse practitioner, etc.), non-pediatric specialty providers. Amoxicillin, cefdinir, and azithromycin were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics across CYs. Table 2 summarizes commonly prescribed antibiotics and their associated cost. Medicaid region 4 encompassed the highest prescription rates. Figure 1 is a GIS map of prescription rates by WV county.Table 1. West Virginia pediatric (0 – 19 years*) Medicaid patient population demographic summary by calendar year (CY). Table 2. Oral antibiotic prescription review including cost, CY 2018-2019. Figure 1. Geographic information system (GIS) mapping of prescriptions per 1,000 children by WV county. ConclusionThere is significant variation in antibiotic prescribing across WV. Potential areas of stewardship intervention should focus on non-physician, non-pediatric providers in Medicaid Region 4, the southern and arguably most rural portion of the state. Secondary analysis revealed an alarmingly high total number of broad-spectrum antibiotic use compared to narrow-spectrum. Further data analysis will examine diagnosis-specific prescription practices within this population.DisclosuresMichael J. Smith, MD, MSC.E, Kentucky Medicaid (Grant/Research Support)Merck (Grant/Research Support)

The Incidence and Nature of Malpractice Claims against Dentists for Orthodontic Treatment with Periodontal Damage in Israel during the Years 2005-2018-A Descriptive Study.

In recent years, dental malpractice claims have increased dramatically worldwide. The purpose of the present study is to analyze claims related to orthodontic treatment involving periodontal problems that resulted in legal decisions in Israel. This study analyzed legal claims registered by Medical Consultants International (MCI) between 2005 and 2018. Only closed cases of orthodontic claims involving periodontal problems in which a decision was made were included. The parameters studied included patients’ demographic data, the main reasons of the claim, and complications. Statistical significance was found for aesthetic damage, which was more common in claims of females (p = 0.035) and in older claims (p = 0.004); tooth damage was more common in claims of older patients (p = 0.032); violation of autonomy was higher in private practice (p = 0.047) and in more recent claims (p = 0.001). As orthodontic treatment is becoming more popular in older patients, and as lawsuit claims become more common in recent years, the orthodontists should always analyze and document the periodontal status of their patients before and during treatment in order to maintain professional practice and avoid future claims.

Geographic variations in dental sealant utilization by Medicaid enrollees.

To investigate geographical variations and their relationship to race/ethnicity in dental sealant utilization for first molars among Wisconsin Medicaid enrollees from 2010 to 2013. Wisconsin Medicaid dental claims for sealants in children aged 6-16 years were analyzed. County-level population density, urban influence code, presence of dental health professional shortage areas, and population-per-dentist ratio were considered as geographic predictors. Descriptive statistics and mixed effects Poisson regression models were used to examine the effect of county level covariates on the number of dental sealants received per person-year (PY) of eligibility adjusting for patient-level characteristics. Over-dispersion was modeled by a random residual effect, and all models adjusted for single-year age and gender interaction and race/ethnicity main effect. Medicaid claims for sealants on first permanent molars for 2010-2013 totaled 288,019 over 1,130,000 PY. The age- and gender-standardized rate of first molar sealant applications per 100 PY were 27.9, 25.7, and 16.6 for White, Hispanic, and Black children, respectively. County-specific rates ranged from a low of 8.9 per 100 PY to a high of 62.6 per 100 PY. In the multivariate analysis after adjusting for geography, compared to Whites, Hispanics had highest rates (rate ratio (RR)=1.33, 95% CI=1.30-1.37) of dental sealant utilization followed by Blacks (RR=1.25, 95% CI=1.21-1.29). Population density was the only significant geographic predictor (RR=0.56 per 10-fold increase, 95% CI=0.45-0.69). Substantial geographic variability in the utilization of sealants for first molars was identified. Lower population density was the main geographical predictor of high sealant utilization.

Is there variation in private payor payments to cancer surgeons? A cross-sectional study in the USA

ObjectivesAlthough demand for price transparency in healthcare is growing, variation in private payors’ payments to surgeons for oncologic resection has not been well characterised. Our aim was to assess variation...

System level interventions to reduce utilization of general anesthesia to treat dental caries: a practice brief.

Dental caries are the most common chronic disease of childhood. Untreated caries can result in severe pain and infection; and in some cases, difficulties in eating, speech, and education. Hospitalization and general anesthesia are often necessary for treating extensive disease in young children, which adds significant risk and expense. Interventions, such as community-based preventative care, utilization of pre-authorizations for treatment, and at-risk contracts, have been deployed as innovative strategies to reduce the incidence of caries and the cost of treatment. Value-based payment structures give payors flexibility to design a multipronged system to impact the health of consumers. This practice brief will identify interventions at a systems level that reduced the utilization of general anesthesia treating dental caries in children under the age of six. Dental claims data from the period of Q1 2011 to Q2 2020 were utilized to analyze the trends in utilization of the operating room (OR) to treat dental conditions among children under 6 years. Fixed effects analysis was utilized to identify key over time changes in the reduction of children's OR utilization. A reduction in utilization of general anesthesia and hospitalization for treating dental caries in young children was seen. The expansion of the community care team, metrics to reinforce the systems of provider education and training, and the use of incentive payments were all associated with reductions in the rate of OR utilization. Between 2012 and 2017, multiple initiatives were implemented without a systematic approach to quality improvement to evaluate.

Using Big Data Analytics to Identify Dentists with Frequent Future Malpractice Claims.

Healthcare spending has been growing at an increasing rate in the US, due in part to medical malpractice costs. Dental malpractice is an area that has not been studied in depth. Using National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), we explored the extent of dental malpractice claims and sought to construct a predictive model that can help us identify dental practitioners at risk of performing medical malpractice. Over 1,500 dental malpractice claims were reported annually, and over $1.7 billion being paid out by medical malpractice insurers over the past 15 years. Majority of claims resulted in minor injuries, and the number of major injury claims increased over years. In prediction, we randomly split the data into train (75%) and test (25%) datasets. We trained and tuned models using 5-fold cross validation on the training set. Then, we fitted the model on the test data for performance measures. We used Logistic Regression, Random Forest (RF) and XGBoost and tuned the hypermeters of models accordingly through grid search and cross validation. XGBoost was the best machine learning model to predict the risk of dentists having several malpractice reports. The best performing model had an accuracy of 72.8% with 30.6% F1 score. The NPDB database is a valuable dataset to study dental malpractice claims. Further analysis of information extracted from this dataset is warranted.

Use of medicines associated with dry mouth and dental visits in an Australian cohort.

Poor recognition of medicine-induced dry mouth can have a number of adverse effects, including difficulties with speech, chewing and swallowing dry foods, gum disease, dental caries and oral candidosis. This study examined the prevalence of use of medicines that cause dry mouth and claims for dental services funded by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) in an Australian cohort. We used the DVA administrative health claims data to identify persons using medicines that can cause dry mouth at 1st of September 2016 and determine their DVA dental claims in the subsequent year. Results were stratified by gender, residence in community or residential aged cared facility and number of medicines. We identified 50679 persons using medicines known to cause dry mouth. Of these, 72.6% were taking only one medicine that may cause dry mouth, and 21.6% were taking two. Less than half (46.2%) of all people taking at least one of these medicines had a dental claim in the following year. A smaller proportion of women (35.9%) made claims than men (56.9%), χ2 =2248.77, P<0.0001. Targeted interventions raising awareness of the relationship between some medicines and dry mouth, and the importance of dental visits are warranted.

Feasibility and usability of measuring receipt of sealants in 2 states

BackgroundThe authors examined the reliability and validity of the Dental Quality Alliance childhood sealant measure under actual use conditions in Texas and Florida. The 2 states provide care for almost 20% of children in Medicaid nationally. MethodsThe authors used dental claims data to examine the reliability of the caries risk assessment component of the measure. They examined validity using a 3-year look-back period to identify children who were inaccurately included in the measure denominator as sealant eligible when they were not owing to already sealed, missing, or restored teeth. ResultsThe children identified at elevated risk varied between the states, with 85% at elevated risk in Texas and 39% in Florida in 2017. Different methods can be used to calculate risk, raising questions about reliability. In Texas, 31% of children included in the denominator were not eligible to receive sealants owing to already sealed, missing, or restored teeth. The magnitude of the underestimation increased with age, so by the time children were 9 years old, 40% were not measure eligible yet included in the denominator. Similar results were observed for Florida. ConclusionsThe authors propose eliminating the caries risk assessment requirement and incorporating a 3-year look-back period to identify already sealed, missing, or restored molars. Practical ImplicationsThe reliability and validity of the sealant measure needs to be enhanced. Measure misspecification in which children are not correctly identified as needing sealants can contribute to inaccurate development of quality improvement goals, performance improvement projects, or pay-for-quality programs.

Extractions are main cause of patients' dental claims

Extractions are main cause of patients' dental claims

DDU reveals top five reasons for dental claims

DDU reveals top five reasons for dental claims