Geographic Distribution of Pediatric Dentists and Community Characteristics of Their Locations in Florida.

Purpose: To describe the geographic distribution of pediatric dentists (PDs) in Florida and the sociodemographic characteristics of communities in which they are located compared with communities without a PD.
Methods: The ratio of PDs to children for each county in Florida and the distribution of PDs in Florida counties at the census tract (CT) level were calculated. Each CT was categorized as having or not having PDs to examine the geographic distribution of PDs, and the sociodemographic differences between CTs with and without a PD were tested by using t-tests. PDs' participation in Medicaid and acceptance of new patients were also investigated.
Results: Of the 67 counties in Florida, 31 had no PD. There were 4,181,677 children younger than 18 years served by 388 PDs, for a statewide ratio of 9.2 PDs per 100,000 population (range 0 to 34.9). Median household income, family income, and education were higher in CTs with PDs, and poverty level, unemployment rate, and percentage of African American population were higher in CTs with fewer PDs. Although 49 percent of PDs accepted Medicaid, only 32 percent accepted new patients.
Conclusion: There are regional and sociodemographic disparities in the distribution of PDs in Florida.