Preventative dental care and systemic health outcomes: Expanding Medicaid dental coverage and usage

Medicaid coverage has been shrinking in many states. As a result, several benefits have been reduced or eliminated, including preventive dental care. However, preventive dental care is crucial for many Medicaid recipients because poor dental health is linked to serious systemic conditions, including cardiovascular disease. We hypothesized that the lack of preventive dental care in Medicaid programs leads to higher healthcare costs for socioeconomically vulnerable populations due to increased rates of dental disease, tooth loss, oral infections, as well as poorer systemic health outcomes related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes-related complications. This study examined the relationship between dental care access, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases, and socioeconomic indicators, with a specific focus on suburban Cook County, Illinois, USA. This region was selected due to its demographic diversity and availability of detailed public health data, making it a representative case study of systemic health disparities of those with Medicaid. Using publicly available health and socioeconomic data, we assessed the potential impact of Medicaid expansion to fully cover preventive dental care on high-risk populations. We found that expanding Medicaid to include preventive dental care in all states, as well as encouraging usage of pre-existing dental benefits, could enhance overall public health and reduce lifetime healthcare expenditures.