A new report from the CareQuest Oral Health Institute shows that 27% of U.S. adults (an estimated 72 million people) do not have dental insurance, nearly three times the number of adults who lack health insurance (9.5%, or 26 million people).
The findings, from the latest State of Oral Health Equity in America (SOHEA) survey, highlight the troubling gaps that persist in access to dental care.
Lack of dental insurance puts adults at risk for delayed treatment and worse oral health, which is closely linked to broader health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and even dementia.
“These findings reinforce that oral health care is too expensive and out of reach for too many families in America,” said Melissa Burroughs, senior director of public policy at the CareQuest Institute.
The dental insurance gap forces families to make difficult trade-offs between staying fed and getting the care they need — and any cuts to Medicaid will only exacerbate this problem.
It’s time to develop policy solutions that address universal oral health, starting with preserving adult dental coverage in Medicaid.”
The report, Out-of-Pocket Costs: A Profile of Adult Dental and Health Insurance, also found that:
Adults with lower income and education levels are more likely to lack dental insurance. 40% of adults without a high school diploma and 38% of adults with incomes less than $30,000 a year do not have dental insurance.
One-third of adults with Medicare or Medicaid lack dental insurance. Traditional Medicare does not cover dental services, and Medicaid adult dental coverage varies by state.
More than 80% of adults without health insurance also do not have dental insurance.
Nearly a quarter of adults with dental insurance gained dental coverage in the last year, either by switching from a previous plan to a new one or joining a plan after going without it.
Of adults who currently do not have dental insurance, 12% lost coverage in the past year, disproportionately affecting young adults, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Black, and Hispanic adults.
Despite growing recognition of the importance of oral health to overall health, significant policy gaps remain. Medicare does not guarantee dental coverage, Medicaid coverage for adults is optional and inconsistent across states, and dental plans on the marketplace often lack affordability and accessibility and are unsubsidized.
The SOHEA survey is the largest, nationally representative survey of adults’ oral health attitudes, behaviors, and experiences. The study was conducted from March to May 2024 by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and reflects the voices of more than 9,000 adults across the United States.
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