Carrellas Ann, Day Angelique, Cadet Tamara
Ann Carrellas, MSW, is associate director for research, Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute, Wayne State University, 4809 Woodward Avenue, Suite 268, Detroit, MI 48202; e-mail:
Health Soc Work. 2018 Feb 1;43(1):22-29. doi: 10.1093/hsw/hlx044.
Children who have aged out of the foster care system face considerable barriers in accessing oral health care. Although this population of foster care alumni may have Medicaid insurance while they are in care to cover dental care, 39 percent of youths who have aged out of foster care do not have dental insurance. This mixed methods study examines factors that contribute to the oral health care disparities of children who have transitioned from foster care. Multivariate analysis revealed that foster care alumni without dental insurance are 93.5 percent less likely to have their dental needs met than those with dental insurance. Themes from the qualitative data indicated a lack of oral health care, quality-of-life issues, and lack of support to access ongoing dental care. Most state Medicaid programs do not provide comprehensive dental care for adults past the age of 20, contributing to oral health disparities among this population. The addition of oral health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 for foster care alumni would greatly enhance their quality of life. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for the role of social workers in promoting oral health care for foster care youths.
脱离寄养系统的儿童在获得口腔保健方面面临诸多障碍。尽管这群寄养系统毕业生在寄养期间可能有医疗补助保险来支付牙科护理费用，但39%脱离寄养系统的青少年没有牙科保险。这项混合方法研究考察了导致从寄养系统过渡过来的儿童口腔保健差异的因素。多变量分析显示，没有牙科保险的寄养系统毕业生满足其牙科需求的可能性比有牙科保险的人低93.5%。定性数据中的主题表明存在口腔保健不足、生活质量问题以及缺乏获得持续牙科护理的支持。大多数州的医疗补助计划不为20岁以上的成年人提供全面的牙科护理，这加剧了该人群中的口腔健康差异。2010年《患者保护与平价医疗法案》为寄养系统毕业生增加口腔保健覆盖范围将极大地提高他们的生活质量。文章最后讨论了社会工作者在促进寄养青少年口腔保健方面的作用所产生的影响。
