This study sought to determine whether children who have mothers with a regular source of dental care at baseline have greater dental use in the subsequent year than children with mothers without a regular source, in a cohort of 11,305 children aged 3 to 6 years in low-income families covered by Medicaid. There were 4 racial/ethnic groups: black (3791), Hispanic (2806), white (1902), and other racial/ethnic groups (2806). Approximately 38% of the mothers had a regular source of dental care (RSDC) at baseline. Having a mother with an RSDC at baseline was associated with greater odds of the child’s receiving dental care in the subsequent year, after controlling for potentially confounding variables. Mothers’ RSDC was also associated with children’s receiving more preventive services. These associations were found for children with black and Hispanic mothers; for children with white mothers, the relationships were in the same direction but not statistically significant.
