Description

For all dental visits (EVENTYPE = 5), DENTGEN indicates if the person saw a general dentist during their visit.

DENTGEN is one of a set of dental visit variables reporting the type of dental provider seen, the dental services received, and the total expenditures overall and by payment source associated with each dental visit. For more information about the dental visit variables, please refer to the section on dental visit variables below.

Dental Visit Variables
Before analyzing the dental visit variables, users should read the following notes on how dental visit variables are offered in IPUMS, the editing of dental visit variables, and change over time in the meaning and availability of dental variables.

Availability of Dental Visit Variables through IPUMS
Dental visit variables are offered by IPUMS on the event record (see RECTYPE for more details on the different record types in IPUMS MEPS). Variables offered on the event record through IPUMS MEPS are derived from the dental visits, other medical expenses, hospital inpatient stays, emergency room visits, outpatient visits, office-based medical provider visits, and home health event files provided by AHRQ. Please see our overview of the event, medical conditions, and prescribed medicines variables, including how those variables are offered through IPUMS MEPS, and general considerations to keep in mind when conducting analyses using these variables.

IPUMS offers a set of event-level expenditure variables that share the same names across all event types. To identify expenditures for dental visits, condition on the value of EVENTYPE (the value 5 corresponds to events that are dental visits).

Collection and Editing of Dental Visit Variables
Unlike most other event data, dental visits were not included in the Medical Provider Component and all data on dental expenditures and payments was reported by the household. Most variables reporting specific types of dental services received have edited and unedited versions until 2021, at which point the unedited versions were discontinued. AHRQ edited these variables for consistency using responses to DENTOTH and the method described below. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality advises analysts to use the revised versions of the dental visit variables, identified with an X suffix in the variable name, in their analyses.

At each interview round, family respondents were asked to answer a set of questions about dental visits made by family members during the recall period covered by the interview. In all years, questions were asked about whether specific types of dental providers were seen (e.g., general dentists or dental hygienists) and the receipt of specific dental services (e.g., a general exam, x-rays, or a root canal). Respondents are also prompted to report any other dental services received at the visit in addition to the services asked about specifically in the interview. If respondents indicated "yes," (DENTPROC), their verbatim responses were recorded in DENTOTH. Responses to whether specific dental services were received were edited using these verbatim responses, although the original, unedited responses were still offered alongside the edited variable from 1996-2021. For example, if a respondent reported that the dental visit included another procedure and, when prompted to specify, reported that the dental visit included x-rays, their response would be used to generate an updated response on the edited DENTXRAY variable. See the DENTOTHX for more information about the dental variable editing process.

Beginning in 2022, only the edited versions of variables were made available in the MEPS public use file.

Changes in the Dental Visit Variables Over Time
There were several changes in variable availability and meaning over time. In 1996-2000, family respondents were also asked whether the dental visit was because of an injury or accident (DENTINJ; in 1996-2014, the original, unedited responses from respondents about other dental procedures included in the dental visit (DENTOTH); and in 1996-2016, whether medication was received at the visit, including free samples (DENTMED. Beginning in 2017, many variables were discontinued that indicated specific types of providers were seen or services were received and instead, other variables were changed to include these specific providers or services. For example, before 2017, separate variables were offered for periodontal recall (DENTRCLVISX) and for cleaning, prophylaxis, or polishing (DENTCLNX). Beginning in 2017, however, these variables were combined into a single variable, DENTCLNRCLX).

In addition to DENTGEN, the set of dental visit variables includes:

Type of Dental Provider Seen

Type of Dental Service Received (Diagnostic or Preventive)

Type of Dental Services Received (Restorative or Endodontic)

Type of Dental Services Received (Periodontic (Gum Treatment) or Oral Surgery)

Type of Dental Services Received (Prosthetics, Orthodontics, or Additional Procedures)

Other Dental Variables

Comparability

There are no comparability issues.

Universe

Availability

• 1996-2022

Weights

• 1996-2022 : PERWEIGHT

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