Dental care has one of the highest cost barriers in healthcare: 7 things to know
By Cameron Cortigiano
Originally at beckersdental.com
Summary & scoring by The Bell Brief (Dr. Jennifer Bell) using the Drill-Down Protocol (Drill-Down Score) — not the original publisher.
Why it matters for dental
Practice owners and DSOs should expect sustained high out-of-pocket dental demand and payer-mix pressure because 12.9% of Americans skipped needed dental care due to cost—more than double the rate for medical, drug, or mental-health services.
Key points
- ADA Health Policy Institute analysis of National Health Interview Survey data shows dental care had the highest cost barrier at 12.9% versus 5% for medical care in 2025.
- Adults ages 19–64 reported the largest dental cost barrier at 17%, compared with 7.4% for medical care, 6.6% for prescriptions, and 6.8% for mental health care.
- Hispanic adults and seniors showed the highest cost-barrier rates by race and ethnicity, while disparities narrowed among children.
- Cost barriers remained nearly identical for adults with public insurance versus uninsured adults, indicating limited relief from non-private coverage.
Who should care
Read the original on Becker's Dental + DSO Review
Full reporting and any paywall content live on beckersdental.com. We summarize and score; we do not republish.
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