Older Americans with oropharyngeal and oral cancers face high medical costs but are missing out on needed dental care, according to a new study by Associate Professor Onur Baser and colleagues. The study, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, examined insurance claims from 2013–2024 for more than 100 million commercially insured adults and 7 million Medicare beneficiaries to track prevalence, health care spending and dental use among people with oropharyngeal and oral cancers. The researchers found that while these patients experienced serious treatment-related oral complications, they had fewer annual dental visits than similar adults without cancer in both Medicare and commercial plans.
Source link
Study reveals urgent need for dental coverage reform for oral cancer patients
March 1, 2026
0 Comments
Explore More
Pandemic-era gaps in dental care reveal lasting risks and a clear path forward
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine health care in unprecedented ways, forcing providers and patients alike to delay or forgo preventive services. At the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Dental
Scientists use technology behind Forth Bridge paint to create dental treatment
Forth Rail Bridge. Credit: Andrew Bowden/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new dental treatment to protect the teeth from decay and acid
Green tea-based adhesive films show promise as a novel treatment for oral mucositis
The researchers prepared the film by combining xyloglucan, a polymer from tamarind seeds, with green tea extract, then drying the mixture at 4°C for seven days. The resulting film offers