To evaluate whether differences in pediatric tonsillectomy use by race/ethnicity and type of insurance were impacted by the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery's 2011 tonsillectomy clinical practice guidelines.

We included children aged <15 years from Florida or South Carolina who underwent tonsillectomy in 2004-2017. Annual tonsillectomy rates within groups defined by race/ethnicity and type of health insurance were calculated using US Census data, and interrupted time series analyses were used to compare the guidelines' impact on utilization across groups.

The average annual tonsillectomy rate was greater among non-Hispanic white children (66 procedures per 10 000 children) than non-Hispanic black (38 procedures per 10 000 children) or Hispanic children (41 procedures per 10 000 children) (P < .001). From the year before to the year after the guidelines' release, tonsillectomy use decreased among non-Hispanic white children (−11.1 procedures per 10 000 children), but not among non-Hispanic black (−0.9 procedures per 10 000 children) or Hispanic children (+3.9 procedures per 10 000 children) (P < .05). Use was greater among publicly than privately insured children (75 vs 52 procedures per 10 000 children, P < .001). The guidelines were associated with a reversal of the upward trend in use seen in 2004-2010 among publicly insured children (−5.5 procedures per 10 000 children per year, P < .001).

Tonsillectomy use is greatest among white and publicly insured children. However, the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery's 2011 clinical practice guideline statement was associated with an immediate decrease and change in use trends in these groups, narrowing differences in utilization by race/ethnicity and type of insurance.