Children are increasingly visiting hospital emergency departments nationwide for dental issues amid shrinking access to pediatric dental care, KFF Health News reported March 10.
Five notes:
1. ED visits for dental issues unrelated to physical trauma increased by 57.9% among children 14 and under, according to a 2025 report from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a nonprofit organization based in Boston.
2. Hospital-level data mirror this trend. A spokesperson for Children’s Hospital Colorado told KFF Health News that nontraumatic dental cases jumped 175% in the ED between 2010 and 2025. Pediatric dentists at the hospital said they are treating not just more patients, but more severe cases, with children now frequently arriving with widespread tooth decay rather than isolated cavities.
3. A shortage of pediatric dental providers, particularly in rural communities, and deteriorating oral health since the pandemic are driving the trend, researchers and clinicians told the publication. Many dental offices closed during COVID-19, and children’s sugar consumption rose during that period, increasing their cavity risk.
4. These trends are compounded by limited access to care for Medicaid enrollees. Millions of Americans live in dental professional shortage areas, and only about one-third of dentists accept Medicaid, where reimbursement rates average less than 40% of typical charges, according to American Dental Association data cited by KFF Health News.
5. Federal policy changes could further strain access, as Medicaid cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act may push states to scale back dental coverage. Some states are moving in the opposite direction: Maine and Alaska have proposed using Rural Health Transformation Program funding to build out the oral health workforce or open specialized dental centers. Last year, California also awarded $47 million to open or expand more than 120 dental facilities for patients with special healthcare needs.
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