Dental care

More than four out of five (82%) CSHCN had a dental visit in the previous year compared to less than three quarters of the other children (73%). Parents of children with special needs were more likely to say their child needed dental care (57% vs 44%). Although CSHCN were more likely to have dental insurance (84% vs 73%), they were also more likely to have unmet need for dental care (11% vs 7%). While most of the unmet need was related to cost issues, more than twice as many CSHCN reported that the unmet need was related to trouble getting a dental appointment (55% of CSHCN with unmet dental need compared to 22%).