About

Dr. Marvellous Akinlotan is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Health Services Research at Texas A&M University School of Dentistry. She is from Nigeria and earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from Obafemi Awolowo University in 2009. After practicing dentistry in private clinic settings, she pursued further training in public health in the United States. Dr. Akinlotan received her PhD in Health Services Research from Texas A&M University in 2019 and completed her specialty training in Dental Public Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2022. Her research focuses on evaluating the impact of health policies and programs aimed at reducing disparities related to rural-urban, racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographical factors. She employs epidemiologic and econometric tools to analyze primary and secondary data collected at local, state, and national levels. Her main research interests include dental public health, rural health, cancer, and maternal and child health.

Research topics

• Demography
• Environmental health
• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Gerontology
• Psychiatry

Selected publications

• Emergency Dental Care in the <scp>ACA</scp> Era: Rural–Urban Disparities and Their Association With State Medicaid Policy

  Journal of Public Health Dentistry · 2026-01-28

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: Rural US populations face greater barriers to dental care than urban residents. This study examines emergency department (ED) visits for nontraumatic dental conditions (NTDCs) among adults, comparing rural and urban areas. It also explores how Medicaid expansion and varying state Medicaid dental policies influence the likelihood of NTDC-related ED visits. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using 2019 ED data from eight states. Descriptive statistics characterized NTDC-related ED visits by patient, visit, and county-level variables across four Medicaid policy groups. Chi-squared tests and T-tests assessed rural-urban differences in visit characteristics and payer mix. Logistic regression models estimated the likelihood of NTDC ED visits by rurality and payer type, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and stratified by Medicaid expansion and adult dental benefit status. RESULTS: Rural NTDC ED visits were shorter (2.5 h) and less costly ($1602) than urban visits (over 3 h, $2532). Analysis of rurality and payer mix revealed three key patterns: (i) rural residents consistently had higher visit rates than urban residents in three of the four groups; (ii) uninsured patients-both rural and urban-had the highest probability of NTDC ED visits in three of the four groups; and (iii) among Medicaid-covered visits, rural enrollees in non-expansion states without adult dental benefits had the highest likelihood of NTDC ED visits. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights continued ED reliance for NTDCs 5 years post-ACA, driven by Medicaid policy and access gaps. Expanding rural oral healthcare remains vital for improving access, especially for the uninsured.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Response to Letter on Exploring Neighborhood Opportunity as a Factor in Pediatric Asthma Visits to the Emergency Department

  Public Health Reports · 2026-01-08

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Association Between Maxillary Frenum Attachment and Anterior Tooth Caries in Children: A South Texas Oral Health Network Pilot Study.

  PubMed · 2026-03-15

  article

  In the population studied, maxillary frenum attachment classification does not significantly correlate with the severity of anterior caries in children aged 6 to 36 months.

  Publisher

• Community‐Based Postdoctoral Dentistry Program in Special Care Dentistry: Development and Implementation

  Journal of Dental Education · 2026-04-21

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  INTRODUCTION: There is a growing, national need for properly trained dentists to provide special care dentistry to a transitioning, aging, and medically complex population. This study describes the implementation and initial impact of a novel academic-community intervention designed to rapidly address this critical gap in provider training and service delivery in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex-. METHODS: The compromised care and hospital dentistry (CCHD) fellowship and an associated special care dentistry clinic were launched based on five core objectives. Key strategies included interdepartmental collaboration and streamlined administrative processes to facilitate rapid program startup. Evaluation tracked implementation and service outcomes (reach and workforce impact), using administrative and electronic dental record data from seven partner sites across 2020-2025. RESULTS: The program demonstrated high feasibility by launching in 45 days. Maintenance was achieved through securing over $4.9 million in foundational support and implementing a novel community practice partnership model to sustain core positions. Service outcomes showed high reach, with fellows treating 8013 unduplicated patients annually. The population served was highly diverse, low-income, and 93.6% reliant on Medicaid/Medicare. Workforce impact was 100%, with all 12 graduated fellows remaining in SHCN practice and the 4 remaining fellows planning to continue serving patients with SHCN. CONCLUSION: The CCHD model provides a replicable and scalable implementation template for academic dental centers seeking to rapidly increase specialized care capacity. Successful collaboration and streamlined administration achieved institutional stability quickly. Future assessments will focus on longitudinal patient outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of this model to further substantiate its value in mitigating oral health disparities for the SHCN population.

  PublisherDOI

• Geographic and Demographic Differences in Studies of the Five Leading Causes of Death in the U.S.: Evidence from Peer-Reviewed Literature

  2025-12-08

  reportSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Neighborhood Opportunity as a Factor in Pediatric Asthma Visits to the Emergency Department

  Public Health Reports · 2025-08-31 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVES: Despite growing interest in environmental and social determinants of health, few studies have explored how residential mobility influences respiratory health outcomes. We examined the relationship between levels of opportunity across education, health and environment, social and economic, and all domains in a child's neighborhood and the likelihood of emergency department (ED) visits for asthma and showed how moving from one neighborhood to another would affect the odds of visiting the ED for asthma. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed asthma-related ED visits among children aged 2 to 17 years in 9 US states (Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) during 2016-2019. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to examine the relationship between the Child Opportunity Index (COI) and ED visits for asthma. We used a piecewise linear logit model to estimate the neighborhood's opportunity effect. RESULTS: < .001). In addition, moving from a low to a very low COI neighborhood significantly increased the probability of asthma-related ED visits among children aged 5 to 9 years (0.8 percentage points), Black children (0.4 percentage points), boys (0.7 percentage points), and those living in large metropolitan areas (0.6 percentage points). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that improvement in neighborhood opportunity may translate to better asthma-related health outcomes among children. Future research should continue to investigate the effects of neighborhood opportunity on other childhood conditions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Delayed oral health care due to cost among US adults with diabetes, 2018-2019

  The Journal of the American Dental Association · 2024-09-19 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Although untreated periodontitis increases the risk of developing diabetic complications, people with diabetes are less likely to use dental services. The authors estimated the prevalence of reporting delayed needed oral health care due to cost and associated risk indicators by diabetes status. METHODS: The authors analyzed data for 43,291 adults who participated in the 2018 and 2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys. The authors used t tests to compare crude estimates of delayed oral health care by diabetes status. Adjusted estimates were obtained from logistic regression models that controlled for sociodemographic, medical and dental insurance, health status, and geographic variables. Multivariable logistic regression models were run separately for adults with and without diabetes to identify factors that were associated with delayed oral health care. RESULTS: After controlling for covariates, the difference in delayed oral health care prevalence between adults with diabetes (18%) and without diabetes (16%) remained significant. Lack of medical insurance and fair or poor self-rated health status were the highest predictors of delayed oral health care among those with diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Despite guidelines, factors other than biology and perceived need may impede access to oral health care for people with diabetes. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: For uninsured adults, policies should prioritize enhancing access to regular ambulatory care and promoting awareness about the importance of preventing and treating dental conditions. In addition, addressing the medical and psychosocial aspects of diabetes in affected patients could affect positively their overall sense of well-being and self-rated health status, potentially encouraging greater use of oral health care services.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Impact of Immigration Policy Changes on Preterm Birth Rates in Texas: An Examination of Border and Nonborder Regions

  Women s Health Issues · 2024-05-09 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The impact of an aging simulation program for dental students in two community dental clinics

  Journal of Dental Education · 2024-07-09 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Clinicians who have not experienced the difficulties that come with aging or disability may be unable to relate to the limitations and experiences of afflicted patients, which is necessary to improve patient-provider connection and treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of an aging-simulation experience on improving dental students' awareness of aging-related limitations, examine the students' perceptions, and assess planned patient-care modifications based on the aging-simulation experience. METHODS: A total of 78 dental students who rotated through two extramural clinic sites from August 2021 through October 2022 completed pre-simulation surveys, donned aging simulators in the dental operatory, initiated pre-defined tasks and their corresponding modifications, completed a post-simulation survey, and completed a reflection questionnaire containing structured and open-ended questions. Quantitative responses were analyzed using descriptive frequencies and paired sample t-tests, whereas thematic analyses were used to interpret free-text portion of the reflection questionnaire. RESULTS: Student awareness of the impact of the four aging-related disabilities improved after the experience. Visual impairment was identified as the most difficult symptom to experience during simulation. Students reported increased feelings of empathy and acknowledged the effectiveness of clinical practice modifications to accommodate elderly patients with limitations. Students also expressed intentions to make similar modifications in their future clinical practice and the need for exposure to longer periods of simulated experiences to further clinical practice modifications for elderly patients. CONCLUSION: The aging-simulation experience is an effective tool for raising dental students' awareness of aging-related difficulties, the need for clinical practice modifications, and increasing empathy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Travel for medical or dental care by race/ethnicity and rurality in the U.S.: Findings from the 2001, 2009 and 2017 National Household Travel Surveys

  Preventive Medicine Reports · 2023-06-25 · 25 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The travel burden for medical or dental care is a well-documented barrier to healthcare access, particularly in rural areas. There is limited research providing national estimates of the travel trends for medical/dental care, particularly among racial/ethnic groups, and among rural and urban populations. We analyzed data from the 2001, 2009, and 2017 National Household Travel Surveys. Main outcomes were the average travel distance (in miles), average travel time (in minutes), and travel burden, characterized as the percentage of trips lasting ≥30 miles or minutes for medical/dental care. We used ordinary least squares and multivariable logistic regressions to examine trends in the travel time/distance and travel burden, controlling for socio-demographic and travel dynamics. Among rural residents, the average travel distance for medical/dental care increased by 17.8% between 2001 and 2017, while no increase was observed among urban residents. Thirty-six percent of trips among rural residents lasted ≥ 30 minutes in 2001 but increased to 47.4% in 2017. Logistic regression estimates show that though Blacks experienced higher odds of a travel time burden compared to Whites, the burden lessened over time. In 2017, urban Blacks (OR=0.41, 95% C.I.= 0.26,0.66), and rural Blacks (OR=0.16, 95% C.I.= 0.05,0.55) were less likely to spend ≥30 minutes traveling for medical/dental care compared to Whites, using the year 2001 as the baseline. The travel distance and time for medical/dental care have increased in rural areas. However, the travel burden among rural and urban Black residents has decreased. Continuing to alleviate excess burdens of transportation may be beneficial.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jane N. Bolin

  Texas A&M University

  46 shared

• Alva O. Ferdinand

  Texas A&M Health Science Center

  29 shared

• Timothy Callaghan

  Georgia State University

  21 shared

• Samuel D. Towne

  University of Central Florida

  17 shared

• Kristin Primm

  University of California, San Francisco

  14 shared

• Jusung Lee

  Pohang University of Science and Technology

  11 shared

• Cynthia Weston

  10 shared

• Nima Khodakarami

  Pennsylvania State University

  8 shared

Education

• Other, Dentistry

  Texas A&M University College of Dentistry

• Ph.D.

  Texas A&M University College of Dentistry