Ph.D. candidate receives career development award
Award funds a study to evaluate the dental benefit coverage of Virginia Medicaid.
By Sabrina Janesick
Shillpa Naavaal, Ph.D. candidate in Healthcare Policy and Research and Associate Professor of Dental Public Health and Policy in the School of Dentistry, recently received a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research career development award. The grant funds a five-year study in which Naavaal will evaluate the dental benefit coverage of Virginia Medicaid, which began July 1, 2021.
Even though it is well established that oral health is integral to overall health, economic productivity, and well- being, it remains the most common unmet health need in the US. Low-income and marginalized racial and ethnic groups carry a significantly high burden of dental disease, highlighting socioeconomic disparities and lack of access to oral health care. A large proportion of these groups rely on Medicaid, but unlike children, federal law does not mandate dental coverage for adults, and coverage varies by state leaving many uninsured or underinsured. Starting July 2021, Virginia expanded dental coverage for all Medicaid-enrolled adults, providing access to comprehensive dental care to thousands of adults for the first time.
The purpose of Naavaal’s research project is to evaluate the role of Virginia’s comprehensive adult Medicaid dental policy on dental care utilization and reducing oral health disparities. The project will: 1) examine the demand for dental services among Medicaid-enrolled adults following the implementation of the dental benefit, 2) evaluate the impact of dental benefit on the use of the emergency department (ED) for dental visits by comparing adults enrolled in Medicaid with those having private insurance, and 3) assess the effect of the Medicaid adult dental benefit on children’s dental care use.
The resulting findings from this study will fill critical research gaps, generate actionable evidence to strengthen existing and new policies, and inform programmatic decisions to improve oral health equity.
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