Description

For all dental visits (EVENTYPE = 5) where the respondent reported the visit included an additional procedure other than those named in the MEPS dental visit questionnaire (DENTPROC) = 2), DENTOTH reports the name of the additional procedure provided by the respondent. An edited version of DENTOTH is available in DENTOTHX.

DENOTH 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 DENTGEN variable description.

DENTOTH is a 25-character wide string variable. Special codes include the following:

NIU: 0000000000000000000000000
Unknown-Refused: 777777777777777777777777
Unknown-Not Ascertained: 8888888888888888888888888
Unknown-Don’t Know: 9999999999999999999999999

Comparability

Changes in the dental section question about what procedures were performed at the dental visit affect the comparability of DENTOTH over time. Changes in the specific types of dental procedures that were explicitly asked about in the dental care section of the MEPS-HC interview mean that the types of services included in DENTPROCX and DENTOTHX also change over time. After 2015, the MEPS dental care questions no longer asked explicitly about abscess or infection treatment (DENTABSCESS), bonding, whitening, or bleaching (DENTWHIT), or treatment for TMJ or TMD (DENTTMDTMJ). Beginning in 2016, these procedures are flagged in DENTPROCX and the verbatim response included in DENTOTHX. DENTOTH was discontinued after 2014.

Universe

Availability

• 1996-2014

Weights

• 1996-2014 : PERWEIGHT

Flags