Dental Care Utilization Among Patients Receiving Primary Care Within a Massachusetts Accountable Care Organization
John Ahern, Ariela Braverman Bronstein, Caleb Tam, Benjamin Le CookABSTRACT
Objectives
To characterize demographic factors associated with dental care utilization in the past year among patients receiving primary care at a Massachusetts Accountable Care Organization ‐participating health system.
Methods
Electronic medical record data were obtained for unique primary care patients who completed oral health screening at a single Massachusetts ACO‐participating health system between July 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024. Dental care utilization was assessed using patients' self‐reported receipt of dental care in the previous 12 months. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models assessed associations between patient demographics and non‐utilization of dental care.
Results
Overall, 38% of patients had not utilized dental care in the past year. Compared with reference groups in their respective categories, higher odds of non‐utilization were observed among males (OR 1.21; 95% CI: 1.16–1.26), children aged 0–5 (OR 3.97; 95% CI: 3.51–4.48), adults aged ≥ 60 (OR 4.03; 95% CI: 3.61–4.49), Haitian Creole speakers (OR 1.78; 95% CI: 1.59–2.00), Asian patients (OR 1.27; 95% CI: 1.16–1.38) and publicly insured patients (OR 2.34; 95% CI: 2.19–2.49).
Conclusions
Disparities in self‐reported dental care utilization were observed across sex, age, language, race, and insurance status within a single Massachusetts Accountable Care Organization ‐participating health system.