Oral Health and Medicare Beneficiaries: Coverage, Out-of-Pocket Spending, and Unmet Need

This brief describes the oral health of Medicare beneficiaries, examines sources of dental coverage for the Medicare population, and examines the utilization of dental services, out-of-pocket spending on dental care, and access problems. This analysis uses data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey Cost and Use file (MCBS), the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and the Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of Health Care Among Nonelderly People with Disabilities and Seniors on Medicare, 2008.

Issue Brief (.pdf)