Objective.
Washington
State’s
Access
to
Baby
and
Child
Dentistry
(ABCD)
Program,
first
implemented
in
Spokane
County
in
1
995,
offers
extended
dental
benefits
to
participating
Medicaid-enrolled
children
and
higher
fees
for
certified
providers.
This
study
aimed
to
determine
the
program’s
effect
on
children’s
dental
utilization
and
dental
fear,
and
on
parent
satisfaction
and
knowledge.
Methods.
The
study
used
a
posttest-only
comparison
group
design.
Trained
interviewers
conducted
telephone
interviews
with
465
parents
of
children
ages
13
to
36
months
(49%
ABCD,
51%
Medicaid-enrolled
children
not
in
ABCD).
One
year
later,
282
of
465
parents
completed
a
follow-up
survey.
Utilization
and
expenditures
were
calculated
from
Medicaid
claims.
Results.
Forty-three
percent
of
children
in
the
ABCD
Program
visited
a
den-
tist
in
the
follow-up
year,
compared
with
12%
of
Medicaid-enrolled
children
not
in
the
ABCD
Program.
An
ABCD
child
was
5.3
times
as
likely
to
have
had
at
least
one
dental
visit
as
a
child
not
in
the
program.
ABCD
children
were
4
to
13
times
as
likely
to
have
used
specific
dental
services.
Parents
of
ABCD
children
were
more
likely
to
report
having
ever
tried
to
make
a
dental
appointment,
less
likely
to
report
that
their
children
were
fearful
of
the
den-
tist,
and
were
more
satisfied,
compared
to
parents
of
non-ABCD
children.
Conclusion.
The
authors
conclude
that
the
ABCD
Program
was
effective
in
increasing
access
for
preschool
children
enrolled
in
Medicaid,
reducing
den-
tal
fear,
and
increasing
parent
satisfaction.