Emergency Dental Visits in Maryland: Distance & ED Utilization
- Here's a breakdown of the key findings from the provided text, focusing on racial groups and age groups and their impact on Emergency Department (ED) utilization for Non-Traumatic...
- * Distance decay Effect: A "distance decay effect" was observed - meaning ED utilization decreases as distance to care increases.
- In essence: The study highlights that distance to care significantly impacts ED utilization for dental issues, and this impact varies considerably by race and age. NH blacks are...
Summary of Findings: Racial Group & Age-Groups and their relationship to ED Utilization for ntdcs
Here’s a breakdown of the key findings from the provided text, focusing on racial groups and age groups and their impact on Emergency Department (ED) utilization for Non-Traumatic Dental Conditions (NTDCs):
Racial Group:
* Distance decay Effect: A “distance decay effect” was observed – meaning ED utilization decreases as distance to care increases. This effect was most pronounced among Non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks.
* NH Blacks vs. NH Whites: NH blacks experienced a considerably larger distance decay effect than NH Whites. Doubling the distance to care resulted in a 40.4% decline in ED visits for NH Blacks, compared to only 16.9% for NH Whites – a 23% difference.
* othre Races: Other racial groups showed a distance decay effect (20.2%), but it wasn’t significantly different from other groups.
* Positive Association with Dental Clinic Distance: ED utilization increased as distance to a dental clinic increased. This effect was largest for NH Blacks (35.8%), followed by Hispanics (35.4%), NH Whites (33.3%), and other races (27.7%). while all were statistically significant, the differences between these groups weren’t considerable.
Age-Groups:
* Children (<19): ED utilization decreased as distance to the nearest ED increased (β = -0.262).
* Working Adults: Showed the largest elasticity with respect to distance to a nearest ED.
* Older Adults (65+): Showed the lowest elasticity with respect to distance to a nearest ED.
* Age Group Differences: Elasticities were statistically different from zero, but not significantly different from each other.
In essence: The study highlights that distance to care significantly impacts ED utilization for dental issues, and this impact varies considerably by race and age. NH blacks are particularly sensitive to distance, showing both the largest decline in ED visits with increased distance and the largest increase in ED visits with increased distance to a dental clinic.