Dental Coverage of Children and Young Adults under Age 21, United States, 1996 and 2006. Statistical Brief Number 221

摘要

This Statistical Brief presents estimates from the 1996 and 2006 Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC). Moreover, this Brief provides data on the reported prevalence of dental coverage and the relationship of dental coverage to use for children and young adults age 0-20 living in the U.S. noninstitutionalized (community) population. MEPS-HC is an annual household survey sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and provides information useful for evaluating trends in dental care use and dental coverage status. In addition, this brief presents data from a period which corresponds with the enactment of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and public dental coverage only extensions. Estimates are presented as the first in a series of updates to Chartbook 17: Dental Use, Expenses, Dental Coverage, and Changes, 1996 and 2004. Only differences that are statistically significant at the 0.05 level are discussed in the text.