Access to Dental Services for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) experience a wide range of conditions that affect their physical, intellectual, and emotional development, and are more likely to have Medicaid coverage than those without such conditions. This issue brief examines state Medicaid policies for providing dental services for adults with I/DD and the challenges states face in providing access to this population. MACPAC conducted a literature review and studied four states using a variety of approaches to provide oral health services to adults with I/DD. The brief provides an overview of the oral health needs of adults with I/DD and considerations for their dental service provision. Then, it describes state Medicaid approaches to covering dental services, such as through waiver authority and managed care, as well as dental access and utilization data. Finally, it examines the challenges with and considerations for improving access to dental care, including issues with provider capacity, access to sedation, access to care for those in residential and institutional settings, and teledentistry.