Despite expanded Medicaid coverage for dental care, low-income adults still face significant barriers to routine dental care. While thirty-eight states plus D.C. offer enhanced benefits, usage remains low, with only a third of adult Medicaid recipients seeing a dentist in 2022. Barriers include few Medicaid-accepting dentists, transportation issues, work schedules, and childcare needs. Dentist participation hovers around 41% nationally, and low reimbursement rates make it difficult for dentists to cover rising costs. States like Tennessee have seen success in reducing ER visits for dental issues with increased funding, but federal cuts threaten these gains. Efforts to build habits over time, such as mobile dental units and ad campaigns, are underway.
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