Dentist participation in state Medicaid programs has not improved despite expansions in benefits over the years, according to new data from the American Dental Association’s Health Policy Institute.
The ADA recently released its “Dental Care in Medicaid Programs” report with updated information on dentist participation, dental care utilization, reimbursement rates and more as of 2025.
According to the report, 18 states have expanded their benefits since 2021, and no state has cut back benefits. Overall, 38 states and Washington, D.C. offer enhanced dental benefits to adults under Medicaid.
Despite this data, only 41% of dentists participate in Medicaid/CHIP. The share of dentists participating in the programs has remained largely the same over the last decade, which the ADA attributed to stagnant reimbursement rates.
The ADA noted that dentists with higher rates of participation are largely those who are female, Black, affiliated with a DSO and are younger than 50.
