New data from the Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) show that 1.7 million Kentucky adults (51%) do not have dental insurance.
For perspective, the number of Kentucky adults without dental coverage is now more than 10 times the number of people who will be at Churchill Downs for next month's Kentucky Derby, noted the Foundation for a Health Kentucky in a news release.
Here are some other findings from the poll:
- 49% of those without insurance skipped getting dental care or checkups in the past year because of the cost.
- 39% said they do not have a personal dentist or oral health provider.
- 79% of those without a personal dentist or oral health provider indicated they last visited a dentist or dental clinic more than five years ago.
- 61% of Kentucky adults reported they visited a dentist or dental clinic with the past year, compared with 70% of adults nationwide.
The poll was conducted September 20 through October 14, 2012, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of 1,680 adults from throughout Kentucky were interviewed by telephone, including landlines and cellphones. The poll has a margin of error of ±2.5%.
The KHIP was first conducted in 2008 through a collaborative effort between the Foundation and the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati.
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