Table 1.
Sample means for community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries by use of dental care, 2002.
| Variable Description | All Beneficiaries | Population With Preventive Dental Visit | Population With Only Non Preventive Dental Visit | Population With No Dental Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Beneficiariesa | 33,725,756 | 10,948,187 | 4,053,975 | 18,723,595 |
| Age less than 65 (percentage) | 12.48 | 8.15** | 15.96 | 14.25 |
| 65 to 69 | 16.68 | 18.50* | 15.97 | 15.77 |
| 70 to 74 | 24.29 | 27.35** | 24.26 | 22.51 |
| 75 to 79 | 20.89 | 23.67** | 19.30 | 19.61 |
| 80 and above | 25.66 | 22.34* | 24.50* | 27.86 |
| Female (percentage) | 55.71 | 57.10** | 52.61 | 55.57 |
| Black non-Hispanic (percentage) | 9.34 | 2.76** | 8.92* | 13.28 |
| Hispanic | 7.49 | 4.27** | 9.72 | 8.90 |
| White non-Hispanic | 78.96 | 90.03** | 76.19 | 73.09 |
| Other non-Hispanic | 3.99 | 2.72** | 4.94 | 4.53 |
| Person income < $10,000 (percentage) | 20.16 | 8.36** | 18.85* | 27.35 |
| $10,000–20,000 | 29.92 | 20.68** | 29.96* | 35.31 |
| $20,000–35,000 | 32.21 | 38.67** | 33.05* | 28.26 |
| Over $35,000 | 17.70 | 32.29** | 18.14* | 9.08 |
| Some or no high school (percentage) | 32.08 | 13.61** | 28.35* | 43.68 |
| High school graduate | 50.09 | 54.65* | 52.86* | 46.51 |
| College graduate | 17.64 | 31.60** | 18.54* | 9.28 |
| Married (percentage) | 52.03 | 61.07** | 54.96* | 46.10 |
| Widowed, divorced | 42.06 | 33.76** | 39.63* | 47.44 |
| Never married | 5.87 | 5.13* | 5.35 | 6.41 |
| Household Size One (percentage) | 34.89 | 31.65* | 33.01 | 37.20 |
| Size two | 49.90 | 58.37** | 50.56* | 44.81 |
| Size three or more | 15.18 | 9.98* | 16.43 | 17.96 |
| Health status fair/poor (percentage) | 27.14 | 17.02** | 28.08* | 32.86 |
| Good | 31.35 | 31.00 | 33.91 | 31.01 |
| Excellent/very good | 40.04 | 51.27** | 37.02 | 34.13 |
| Part year community resident (percentage) | 5.45 | 2.50* | 3.27* | 7.73 |
| Difficulty eating solid foods because of teeth (percentage) | 12.19 | 6.15** | 20.10* | 14.01 |
| Former smoker (percentage) | 47.51 | 49.96* | 48.43 | 45.82 |
| Current smoker | 13.73 | 7.76** | 13.82* | 17.20 |
| Never smoked | 38.76 | 42.46** | 37.65 | 36.75 |
| Dental coverage (percentage)b | 20.63 | 46.14** | 40.07* | 1.50 |
| Number of difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs)c | 0.70 | 0.45** | 0.74 | 0.84 |
| Number of difficulties with instrumental ADLsd | 1.14 | 0.75** | 1.13* | 1.37 |
| Number of conditions ever diagnosed by physiciane | 2.84 | 2.58** | 3.02 | 2.95 |
| Number of physical limitationsf | 2.18 | 1.75** | 2.25* | 2.43 |
| Number of dental events | 1.28 | 2.83*** | 2.49 | 0 |
| Number of dental cleaning events | 0.53 | 1.63 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of dental events not cleaning, exam, or x-rays | 0.46 | 0.83*** | 1.58 | 0 |
| All dental events ($ payments) | 1.22 | 560.22*** | 821.60 | 0 |
| Dental cleaning events ($ payments) | 0.53 | 204.18 | 0 | 0 |
| Dental events not cleaning, exam, or x-rays ($ payments) | 0.46 | 262.61*** | 581.25 | 0 |
| All dental events (out of pocket (OOP) $ payments) | 207.22 | 407.57*** | 623.19 | 0 |
| Dental cleaning events (OOP $ payments) | 47.60 | 146.62 | 0 | 0 |
| Dental events not cleaning, exam, or x-rays (OOP $ payments) | 113.48 | 189.32*** | 432.77 | 0 |
Source: 2002 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey community-based beneficiaries.
Indicates that the mean in the column is significantly different than the mean for the population with no dental use at 5%.
Indicates that the mean in the column is significantly different than the mean for the population with only non-preventive dental visits and the mean for the population with no dental use at 5%.
Indicates that the mean in the column is significantly different than the mean for the population with only non-preventive dental visits.
Includes Medicare beneficiaries with missing values of race/ethnicity, education, marital status, household size, and health status.
Survey data limitations, as discussed in the methods section above, limit the ability of the MCBS to estimate dental insurance coverage reliably for the Medicare beneficiaries who did not see a dentist during the year.
Activities of daily living include bathing/showering, dressing, eating, getting in/out of bed/chair, walking, and using the toilet.
Instrumental activities of daily living include using the telephone, doing light housework, doing heavy housework, preparing meals, shopping for personal items, and managing money.
The list of conditions includes hardening of the arteries, hypertension/high blood pressure, myocardial infarction/heart attack, angina pectoris/coronary heart disease, other heart conditions, stroke/brain hemorrhage, skin cancer, other (non-skin) cancer, diabetes/high blood sugar, rheumatoid arthritis, mental retardation, osteoporosis/soft bones, broken hip, Parkinson’s disease, emphysema/asthma/cardiopulmonary disease, complete/partial paralysis, and lost arm or leg.
Physical limitations include any difficulty stooping/crouching, kneeling, lifting/carrying 10 pounds, extending arms above shoulders, writing/handling object, and walking ¼ mile or 2–3 blocks.