Does Medicaid cover dental?

Does Medicaid cover dental?

All states must provide at least basic dental coverage to people under age 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid,¹ but Medicaid dental coverage for adults is optional, meaning states can decide whether to provide it.²

In most states, Medicaid covers at least some dental care for enrollees who are 21 and older, although several states limit this coverage to emergencies.³

An analysis by the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health gave states points based on the scope of their adult dental benefits for Medicaid enrollees. States’ scores ranged from zero in Alabama (where adult dental benefits are only provided the enrollee is pregnant or postpartum)⁴ to 31 in Minnesota and Washington DC, which offered the most robust adult dental benefits.⁵

How is Medicaid dental insurance different from private insurance?

Medicaid’s dental insurance coverage is different in several ways from private insurance.

Medicaid will only pay for dental care from a provider who is enrolled with the state's Medicaid program,⁶  whereas some private dental plans require enrollees to use in-network dentists and others do not.⁷

Some states also limit what Medicaid will pay for dental benefits each year, but others don’t have a limit.⁸ On the other hand, most private dental plans do have a limit on how much they'll pay in a given year.⁹

Individuals with Medicaid generally won’t owe a deductible for dental care, but in some states, Medicaid has nominal co-pays (and these usually range from $1 to $3).

Will Medicaid cover my dental providers?

A 2024 brief from the American Dental Association notes that “in addition to limited dental benefits coverage, access to care is also hindered by low dentist participation” in Medicaid. The brief also clarifies that some dentists are enrolled in Medicaid but haven’t had any Medicaid claims in the past year, indicating that people with Medicaid might not be able to obtain appointments.¹⁰

So you’ll need to check with your preferred dentist to see if they accept Medicaid. If you’re looking for a new dentist, you’ll need to confirm whether they’re accepting new patients with Medicaid.

Does Medicaid coverage of dental care vary by state?

Yes, adult Medicaid dental benefits vary significantly by state. Although most states do offer at least some dental coverage to adult Medicaid enrollees, some states provide adult dental coverage only in emergencies, some offer limited coverage in non-emergencies, and some offer extensive coverage. As of 2025:^{10 5}

• One state, Alabama, offered no adult dental benefits unless the enrollee was pregnant or postpartum.¹¹
• Seven states offered emergency-only coverage (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Texas)
• Nine states offered limited coverage (Arkansas, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wyoming), 33 states and DC provided enhanced coverage (Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin).

But the definition of “enhanced” isn’t standardized. According to a nationwide CareQuest survey, the Medicaid programs in only 11 states and Washington, DC provided “extensive” adult dental benefits as of 2024 (Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC., although Utah added new fairly extensive adult Medicaid benefits starting in April 2025).⁵

The CareQuest survey’s parameters for “extensive” coverage included an annual benefit cap of at least $1,000, and coverage for a wide range of services, including exams, cleanings and deep cleanings, fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, and dentures. The CareQuest survey noted that the number of states providing extensive adult dental benefits has grown in recent years.⁸

The takeaway point is that if you’re an adult enrolled in Medicaid, you’ll need to check with your state Medicaid office to see what dental benefits you have, as there is a lot of variation from state to state.

More information about Medicaid dental care in each state is here.