Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Acceptance of Medicaid Patients in Dental Practices

Abstract

Racial/ethnic minority dentists are twice as likely as White dentists to accept new Medicaid patients. Dentists in larger practices also are significantly more likely than those in smaller practices to accept new Medicaid patients. These findings suggest that increasing dental workforce diversity to match the diversity of the general US population can potentially improve access to dental care for poor and minority Americans, and may serve as an important force in reducing disparities in dental care.