Access to healthcare may be influenced by the availability of transportation. Nevertheless, the impact of transportation challenges on access to dental care has not been thoroughly examined. This study investigates the influence of transportation availability on dental care visits, dental cleanings, and exams. This is a retrospective observational study. The 2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a national survey in the United States, was used for this study. Adults (≥18 years old) from the 2021 survey were included. The 2021 Full Year Consolidated File and the Dental Visits file were linked to identify the main independent variable and the outcomes. Weighted zero-inflated negative binomial regression and weighted logistic regression were employed to analyze the outcomes of dental care visits, and dental cleanings, and exams. The study included a total of 204,704,044 adults, with an average age of 49 (SD: 18) years, and a 51 % female representation. Approximately 5.5 % (n=11,285,968) of the population reported facing transportation challenges. Subjects encountering transportation challenges exhibited a 26 % decrease in dental care visits compared to those without such challenges (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR)=0.74, p < 0.01, 95 % CI: 0.64–0.87). Individuals lacking transportation had 39 % lower odds of receiving a dental cleaning (odds ratio (OR)=0.61, p < 0.01, 95 % CI: 0.48–0.77) and 29 % lower odds of undergoing a checkup or exam (OR=0.71, p < 0.01, 95 % CI: 0.56–0.90). The study's findings underscore the significant impact of transportation challenges on access to dental care. Limited access to dental care due to transportation issues could exacerbate disparities in oral health outcomes. Implementing targeted interventions to address transportation challenges could contribute to improved oral health outcomes.

COVID-19’s impact on quality of life (QoL) has been studied; however, data on the effects of long COVID on QoL and mental disability remain limited. This study aimed to investigate whether long COVID is associated with decreased QoL and increased mental disability. We analyzed data from adults (≥18 years) in the 2022 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Physical and mental QoL were assessed using the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey, while mental disability was measured with the Kessler Index. Long COVID was defined as experiencing COVID-related symptoms for over 3 months. To account for skewness in the outcome variables, the study employed survey-weighted generalized linear regression with a log link and gamma distribution. The analysis included 153,330,408 subjects (unweighted n = 10,975). The average age of those with and without long COVID was similar (51 vs. 52 years, p = 0.46). Subjects with long COVID had a 3% lower physical QoL (β = −0.03, p = 0.02), a 4% lower mental QoL (β = −0.04, p < 0.01), and a 26% higher mental disability score (β = 0.26, p < 0.01) compared to those without long COVID. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted strategies to address long COVID and support patients in recovering their pre-COVID QoL and mental health.

Objectives: Evidence suggests that COVID-19 infection contributes to elevated risks of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety, however, this association remains underexplored. This study aimed to examine the incidence of depression and anxiety in individuals with COVID-19 compared to those without any infection. Method: Using the Utah All Payers Claims Database (2019 to 2021), we examined adult patients with continuous insurance enrollment. Individuals with pre-existing depression or anxiety were excluded. COVID-19 infection in 2020 was identified using diagnostic and procedural codes. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) method was applied to select covariates, followed by entropy balancing to adjust for baseline differences. Weighted logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between COVID-19 infection and incident mental health diagnoses in 2021. Results: Among 356,985 adults included in the final analytic sample for depression analysis, 37.6 percent had a documented COVID-19 infection in 2020. Individuals with prior infection had significantly higher odds of receiving a depression diagnosis in 2021 compared to those without infection (OR = 1.48, p < 0.01). A similar pattern was observed for anxiety: among 371,491 adults, 38.1 percent had a COVID-19 infection, and infected individuals had 46 percent greater odds of receiving an anxiety diagnosis (OR = 1.46, p < 0.01), after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. Conclusions: This study highlights the elevated risk of depression and anxiety among patients who had been infected with COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of addressing the mental health needs of individuals affected by the virus.

Background/Objectives: U.S. telehealth utilization increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, post-pandemic utilization patterns and associated characteristics remain unclear. This study examined national trends in telehealth use and identified factors associated with its utilization from 2020 to 2023. Methods: Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2020–2023) Office-Based Medical Provider Visits and Outpatient Visits files were used to identify national telehealth use. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear regression were used to examine telehealth utilization, visit type, service type, and potential predictors of utilization. Results: The proportion of U.S. health care visits made via telehealth increased sharply from 2020 (1.84%; 95% CI, 1.67–2.01) to 2021 (4.53%; 95% CI, 4.11–4.94) and then stabilized through 2023. The proportion of the U.S. population with at least one telehealth visit followed a similar trend (7.15% in 2020; 12.09% in 2021; 12.05% in 2022; 12.12% in 2023). Telehealth visits were primarily for outpatient care and were most commonly used for mental health services (4.20% in 2021; 4.13% in 2022; and 4.18% in 2023). Sex, health insurance status, age, and family income were significant predictors of telehealth utilization. Conclusions: Pandemic-related increases in telehealth use have persisted beyond the COVID-19 period. Continued support from health care systems and policymakers is necessary to sustain and expand access to telehealth services.