Are minority dentists more likely to care for Medicaid patients? Factors associated with acceptance of Medicaid patients in dental practices

Background: Little is known about factors associated with acceptance of new Medicaid-covered patients by dentists, and particularly whether minority dentists are more likely to accept new Medicaid patients. Objectives: To examine factors associated with acceptance of Medicaid patients by dentists. Methods: We analyzed 2001 and 2003 data from the Wisconsin dentist workforce survey administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Bureau of Health Information. Results: The numbers of respondents for the 2001 and 2003 surveys were 4,301 (94%) and 2,586 (55%) of Wisconsin licensed dentists, respectively. The numbers of respondents practicing in Wisconsin were 2,842 and 1,780 respectively. In bivariate analyses, dentists from racial/ethnic minority groups (30% vs.18% for white dentists), and large clinics (70% vs.15% for those in smaller clinics) were significantly more likely to accept new Medicaid patients. In multivariate analysis, dentists from racial/ethnic minority groups (OR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.41-3.50 for 2001; OR, 3.29; 95% CI, 1.56-6.93 for 2003), and clinics with ³10 dentists (OR, 3.67; 95% CI, 2.36, 5.73 for 2001; OR, 6.20; 95% CI 3.46, 11.13 for 2003) had significantly greater odds of accepting new Medicaid-covered patients. Conclusion: Racial/ethnic minority dentists are two to three times more likely than white dentists to accept new Medicaid patients. These findings suggest that increasing dental workforce diversity to match the diversity of the general US population may significantly increase access to dental care for poor and racial/ethnic minority Americans, and could serve as a potent force in reducing or eliminating dental disparities.