EVALUATION AND OUTCOMES

Washington Dental Service Foundation continues to evaluate the impact of the ABCD programs it funds through analysis of:

• Medicaid data
• Feedback from stakeholders

The Department of Dental Public Health Sciences at the University of Washington School of Dentistry has evaluated the original Spokane County ABCD Program since it began in 1995. They have also done a randomized clinical trial of ABCD services in Stevens County.

List of published papers.

MEDICAID DATA

Medicaid Clients
The ABCD program is currently operating in 30 of Washington state's 39 counties. Statewide Medicaid utilization data shows significant increases in access for very young children in the years since ABCD began:

• Access to care for Medicaid-enrolled children under age 6 has increased from 21.1% (representing just under 40,000 children) in FY 1997 to 38.7% (representing over 107,000 children) in FY 2008.
• For children under age 2, nearly 19% (almost 22,000 children) now receive Medicaid dental care, as compared with 3% (roughly 2,000 children) during FY 1997.
• For the youngest patients - children before their first birthday, when prevention is most cost-effective - access to Medicaid dental care has increased from less than 1% (0.6%, only 194 children) during FY 1997 to 8% (5,665 children) in FY 2008.

Medicaid Providers

• While the overall number of statewide dental providers who bill for serving Medicaid patients has decreased since FY 2003, the number of providers billing for treatment of Medicaid patients under age 2 has increased from 484 in FY 2003 to 649 in FY 2008.
• Over 900 dentists statewide have been trained in early pediatric techniques through the ABCD program.

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