Reports from University of Iowa College of Dentistry Describe Recent Advances in Managed Care (Medicaid Dental Coverage and Preventive Dental Care Use Among Pregnant Adults): Managed Care

2025 SEP 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Managed Care is the subject of a report. According to news originating from Iowa City, Iowa, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Medicaid dental coverage for pregnant adults and receipt of a dental cleaning during pregnancy among adults with Medicaid. In this cross-sectional study, 2019 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data were used to measure individuals’ receipt of a dental cleaning during pregnancy and in the year prior to pregnancy.”

Financial support for this research came from Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, “The independent variable was the state-level degree of Medicaid dental coverage for pregnant adults as of 2019, ranging from none to extensive. Weighted logistic regression models estimated the odds of having a dental cleaning during pregnancy, both for the full sample and stratified by whether or not a cleaning was received pre-pregnancy. Approximately one-third (31%) of respondents reported receiving a dental cleaning during pregnancy. In multivariable results, pregnant adults living in states with emergency (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.41-0.83, p = 0.002) or no (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.41-0.86, p = 0.006) dental coverage had significantly lower odds of having a dental cleaning during pregnancy than those living in states with extensive dental coverage. This association was concentrated among people who did not have a dental cleaning pre-pregnancy; those without a cleaning pre-pregnancy who lived in a state with extensive dental coverage had approximately twice the odds or more of having a dental cleaning during pregnancy than those who lived in states with emergency or no dental coverage. Having dental insurance is critically important to be able to access needed dental care and avoid substantial out-of-pocket costs. This study found that for pregnant adults in Medicaid who who hadn’t had a dental cleaning in the year prior to pregnancy, having extensive dental coverage was significantly associated with much higher odds of having a dental cleaning during pregnancy relative to having emergency or no dental coverage.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Our findings, together with the body of evidence on the impact of Medicaid dental coverage on dental care access, underscore the importance of providing comprehensive dental coverage in Medicaid regardless of age and pregnancy status.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Medicaid Dental Coverage and Preventive Dental Care Use Among Pregnant Adults. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 2025. Maternal and Child Health Journal can be contacted at: Springer|plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA. (Springer - www.springer.com; Maternal and Child Health Journal - http://www.springerlink.com/content/1092-7875/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Julie C. Reynolds, University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Iowa City, IA, United States. Additional authors for this research include Tabitha K. Peter, Tessa Heeren, Stephanie E. Lewis, Peter C. Damiano and Xianjin Xie.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-025-04149-9. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

The publisher’s contact information for the Maternal and Child Health Journal is: Springer|plenum Publishers, 233 Spring St, New York, NY 10013, USA.

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