Rural-Urban Differences in Dental Care Utilization After a Public Health Emergency

View Policy Brief

02/2026

This study utilized Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to examine dental care utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The pandemic significantly reduced overall dental health care utilization for both rural and urban populations. However, the rural population experienced increased odds of delayed dental service utilization.

Key Findings:

• Past year dental clinic visits declined among both rural and urban populations after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, rural patients were more likely to report delayed dental service utilization than their urban counterparts.
• Participants residing in Medicaid expansion states or with health insurance coverage were 16% less likely to delay dental visits overall.
• The COVID-19 pandemic further worsened the existing challenges in dental health care access for urban and rural communities.

Rural and Underserved Health Research Center

Quazi Minhaz Tabassum, Redwan Bin Abdul Baten, Ahmed Arif

Health services, Healthcare access, Medicaid and CHIP, Oral health, Private health insurance, Social determinants of health