Dental care demand: age-specific estimates for the population 65 years of age and over.

This paper derives estimates of the demand for dental care among the U.S. population 65 years of age and over. The analysis is unique in that it focuses on a segment of the population with particular relevance to future policy regarding dental insurance coverage and distinguishes determinants of dental care demand by type of service. The empirical estimates suggest that the use of dental service by elderly persons does respond to price changes and that price-elasticity of demand varies significantly among different dental procedures.