Oral Cancer Prevalence, Mortality, and Costs in Medicaid and Commercial Insurance Claims Data

BACKGROUND: This study compared prevalence, incidence, mortality rates, treatment costs, and risk factors for oral and oropharyngeal cancer (OC/OPC) between two large United States adult cohorts in 2012–2019. METHODS: Medicaid and commercial claims data came from the IBM Watson Health MarketScan Database. Logistic regression analyses estimated incidence and risk factors for OC/OPC. Mortality was calculated by merging deceased individuals’ files with those of the existing cancer cohort. Summing costs of outpatient and inpatient services determined costs. RESULTS: Prevalence of OC/OPC in Medicaid enrollees decreased each year (129.8 cases per 100,000 enrollees in 2012 to 88.5 in 2019); commercial enrollees showed a lower, more stable prevalence (64.7 per 100,000 in 2012 and 2019). Incidence trended downward in both cohorts, with higher incidence in the Medicaid (51.4–37.6 cases per 100,000) than the commercial cohort (31.9–31.0 per 100,000). Mortality rates decreased for Medicaid enrollees during 2012–2014 but increased in the commercial cohort. OC/OPC treatment costs were higher for commercial enrollees by $8.6 million during 2016–2019. OC/OPC incidence was higher among adults who were older, male, and white; used tobacco or alcohol; or had prior human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome diagnosis and lower among those who had seen a dentist the prior year. CONCLUSIONS: Medicaid enrollees experienced higher OC/OPC incidence, prevalence, and mortality compared with commercially insured adults. Having seen a dentist within the prior year was associated with a lower risk of OC/OPC diagnosis. IMPACT: Expanding Medicaid dental benefits may allow OC/OPC to be diagnosed at earlier stages through regular dental visits.