Rural versus urban analysis of dental procedures provided to Virginia Medicaid recipients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to report the distribution of procedures provided to Virginia Medicaid children by 3 types of dental providers in rural and urban areas.

METHODS: Medicaid claims filed for dental patients less than 21 years old were obtained and analyzed for fiscal years 1994-1995. Dental providers were categorized according to their practice type: (1) general practice (GP); (2) pediatric (PD); and (3) public health (PH) dentists. Each type of practice was categorized as practicing in a metropolitan, urban, rural, or completely rural location and evaluated for percentages of preventive, diagnostic, and corrective services provided.

RESULTS: Rural areas had a higher percentage of significant providers than did metropolitan or urban areas. General dentists performed more diagnostic and preventive but fewer corrective procedures than pediatric dentists. Pediatric dentists and general dentists in completely rural areas performed more corrective procedures than their counterparts in metropolitan or urban areas.

CONCLUSIONS: General, pediatric, and public health dentists in metropolitan and urban areas perform slightly more diagnostic services and fewer corrective services than practitioners in more rural areas.