Objectives: Previously published sealant measures are not useful when applied to Medicaid claims data in states where dental services are carved out of managed care. A novel sealant measure was developed to assess the degree to which dental providers seal eligible teeth during preventive dental visits (PDVs) in an effort to ascertain if such a measure can be used to valuate provider performance, as condition of potential value-based care model implementation.
Methods: A single-county feasibility study was conducted using Medicaid claims. A study cohort included children aged 8 years and enrolled 12 months during 2018. Prospective analysis was used to determine whether dental sealants were applied by the same dentists during PDVs or up to 9 months thereafter. Eligible teeth included first permanent molars. Teeth previously restored, sealed or missing were excluded. PDV was defined as any encounter with prophylaxis, fluoride treatment, or EPSDT. Claims were compared to public health surveillance for measurement validation.
Results: Single-county results showed 11 percent of eligible teeth were sealed. Only 9 percent of dentists applied sealants to at least 40 percent of eligible teeth. Face validation of sealant rate was 23 percent Medicaid versus 36 percent Public Health. The former measures incidence and the latter prevalence with greater heterogeneity that included partially retained sealants.
Conclusions: A sealant measure that assesses provider adherence to sealant standards of care was produced. It has potential application for assessing performance of pediatric preventive services and informing value-based performance expectations.
Keywords: Medicaid; data analysis; dental care for children; evidence-based dentistry; pit and fissure sealants; preventive dentistry; quality of care.
© 2020 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.