The Child Health Insurance Research Initiative examined children's access to preventive and other dental care in Georgia and Alabama before the adoption of new reforms, to illustrate problems in access. Nearly three-quarters of kids with Medicaid coverage received no dental services, even though they were entitled to. Improving dentists' participation in Medicaid had only a modest impact on kids' preventive care. More effective approaches included placing dentists in primary care settings, having pediatricians educate families about the importance of oral health care, and mobile health vans and other service delivery methods to target hard-to-reach kids.

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