TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of free dental services on individuals with sickle cell disease
AU - Whiteman, Lauren N.
AU - Haywood, Carlton
AU - Lanzkron, Sophie
AU - Strouse, John J.
AU - Batchelor, Adrian H.
AU - Schwartz, Anthony
AU - Stewart, Rosalyn W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by The Southern Medical Association.
PY - 2016/9/1
Y1 - 2016/9/1
N2 - Objectives Poor oral health can have a negative impact on overall health. This is especially concerning for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder that affects hemoglobin and can lead to an increased risk of infection and hyperalgesia. Because the majority of individuals with SCD have Medicaid insurance and no dental coverage, we provided free basic dental care to individuals with SCD to determine whether it decreased overall healthcare utilization. Methods Through a contract with a private dental office, we provided free basic dental care (eg, cleanings, fillings, x-rays) to individuals with SCD. We reviewed medical records for the 12 months before and after their initial dental visit to determine whether there were any changes in acute care visits (defined as a visit to the emergency department, sickle cell infusion center, or visits to both in the same day), hospitalizations, and total days hospitalized. We conducted a negative binomial regression to determine any differences in the pre-post periods. Results In our multivariable analysis, there was a statistically significant decrease in hospital admissions. In addition, there was a significant decrease in total days hospitalized if dental work was completed, but an increase in days hospitalized in men. Conclusions Providing dental care to individuals with SCD who did not have dental insurance did not greatly alter acute care visits. A larger sample size may be necessary to observe an effect.
AB - Objectives Poor oral health can have a negative impact on overall health. This is especially concerning for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder that affects hemoglobin and can lead to an increased risk of infection and hyperalgesia. Because the majority of individuals with SCD have Medicaid insurance and no dental coverage, we provided free basic dental care to individuals with SCD to determine whether it decreased overall healthcare utilization. Methods Through a contract with a private dental office, we provided free basic dental care (eg, cleanings, fillings, x-rays) to individuals with SCD. We reviewed medical records for the 12 months before and after their initial dental visit to determine whether there were any changes in acute care visits (defined as a visit to the emergency department, sickle cell infusion center, or visits to both in the same day), hospitalizations, and total days hospitalized. We conducted a negative binomial regression to determine any differences in the pre-post periods. Results In our multivariable analysis, there was a statistically significant decrease in hospital admissions. In addition, there was a significant decrease in total days hospitalized if dental work was completed, but an increase in days hospitalized in men. Conclusions Providing dental care to individuals with SCD who did not have dental insurance did not greatly alter acute care visits. A larger sample size may be necessary to observe an effect.
KW - Key Words dental care
KW - preventable utilization
KW - sickle cell disease
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U2 - 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000510
DO - 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000510
M3 - Article
C2 - 27598367
AN - SCOPUS:84985914692
SN - 0038-4348
VL - 109
SP - 576
EP - 578
JO - Southern medical journal
JF - Southern medical journal
IS - 9
ER -