Utilization among seniors with a Medicare Advantage dental benefit increased to 61% in 2024 from 53% in 2023, according to a report from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute.
The September 2026 report, “National Trends in Dental Care Use, Dental Insurance Coverage, and Cost Barriers,” draws on data from the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey and the National Health Interview Survey. The ADA’s Health Policy Institute is the association’s research arm.
The report also found that dental care has one of the highest cost barriers in healthcare.
Here are eight things to know about dental care use and coverage:
- Seniors with a Medicare Advantage dental benefit saw the biggest jump in usage. Their share with a dental visit in the past year rose to 61% in 2024 from 53% in 2023. Seniors overall were at 55.5% in 2024, up from 53.1% in 2023, and seniors with private dental insurance were at 77.9%.
- Medicare Advantage dental coverage did not grow in 2024. About 26.6% of seniors had a Medicare Advantage dental benefit in 2024, down from 27.3% in 2023 and up from 24.4% in 2022. About 37% of seniors had no dental coverage in 2024, down from 41.6% in 2022.
- Just under half of the U.S. population (47%) visited a dentist in 2024, up from 46% in 2023. The report said utilization has risen steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic, but disparities by population group remain fixed.
- Fifty-three percent of children visited the dentist in 2024, compared with 41% of working-age adults.
- About 60% of people at or above 400% of the federal poverty level visited the dentist in 2024, compared with 29% of people below 100% of the federal poverty level.
- Fifty-eight percent of people with private dental insurance visited the dentist in 2024, compared with 33% of those with public insurance and 31% of those with no insurance.
- More than half of the population (57%) had private dental insurance in 2024, 19% had public insurance and 24% were uninsured. The uninsured share has fallen from 33% in 2002, while the publicly insured share has grown from 13%.
- In 2024, 7% of children had no dental coverage, compared with 21% of working-age adults.
