Access to Dental Providers in Pennsylvania, Exploration of the County-Level Distribution of Dental Providers and Populations in 2013, Exploration of the County-Level Distribution of Dental Providers and Populations in 2013

Author

Vesely, Joseph V. ; Baird, Matthew D. ; Baird, Michelle K.

Year

2016

Publisher

RAND Corporation

Language

English

Pages

Link

Last Update

30-Jul-2026

Keywords

Health Sciences ; History

Description

Ensuring access to dental care, particularly for children, is a significant policy concern in the United States. Many factors affect access on both the provider and patient sides. This report examines one important factor in the ability to access dental care: the distribution and availability of dental health providers. We assess these characteristics of providers across the counties of Pennsylvania, primarily using data from the 2013 Survey of Dentists and Dental Hygienists administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (Bureau of Health Planning, 2014).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has established a general guideline that a ratio...