Early Impact of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid Expansion on Dental Care Use

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act on dental care use among poor adults ages 21–64 in 2014. DATA: 2010–2014 Gallup‐Healthways Wellbeing Index Survey. STUDY DESIGN: Among poor adults with income at or below 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, a differences‐in‐differences analysis was used to compare the changes in dental care use in states with different Medicaid expansion and adult dental policies. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Relative to the pre‐reform period and other states, in Medicaid expansion states with adult dental benefits, dental care use increased between 2 and 6 percent points in the second half of 2014, but most of these changes were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Early evidence suggests that the Affordable Care Act may either not be having a substantial impact on dental care use or it is too early to assess the impact.