More than one-third (36.0 percent) of Kansans reported not having dental insurance in 2017. However, across age groups and by race/ethnicity, there were distinct differences in whether individuals had dental insurance coverage, how their coverage was provided, and whether or not they had unmet dental needs.
Recognizing that oral health is integral to general health and that the lack of dental insurance is a potential barrier to accessing the oral health care system, the Kansas Health Institute, in partnership with Oral Health Kansas, conducted an analysis of Kansas data from the 2017 Kansas and Missouri Consumer Health Access Survey (KMHS). This report provides the most recent data available on dental insurance coverage in the state, including detailed information on the source of dental insurance coverage, unmet dental needs and dental visits by age group and race or ethnicity.