According to the latest data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation MICROCOSM COMMON® Data center, 75% of US children 1–17 received preventive dental care in the past year. This means that One in four children went without such careincrease from previous years. Similarly, almost one in four children (23%) have teeth that are not in very good or excellent condition. This data was reported by a parent or carer in the 2020–2021 National Research on Child Health.
Why dental health matters
Good oral health is critical, as cavities are one of the most common chronic diseases between children and unprocessed dental problems can lead to pain, difficulty in food and sleep, other health conditions, social and emotional issues and challenges at school. Preventive dental visits, such as checks and dental cleaning, are necessary to maintain oral health and deal with dental problems before they become more serious.
Access to oral healthcare and dental disease rates widely vary from socio -economic status, race and nationality, geography and other demographic factors, according to a growing body of research, including exposure from The National Institutes of Health. For example, the following groups are more likely to experience dental diseases and obstacles to access to care:
- Black, Latino and American India and Alaska children
- Kids living in poverty conditions
- People who do not have insurance or public insurance
- Families of immigrant and refugees
- Young children and teenagers
- People with disabilities
- Families in rural areas
Differences at state level in dental care of children
Almost 9 in 10 The children received annual preventive dental visits to Hawaii (85%) – the highest number of all situations in 2020–2021. The lower rates of preventive dental care were found in Florida (69%), Missouri (70%) and Ohio (70%), with almost one third of children missing annual preventive care in each state.
Children were less likely to have teeth in excellent or very good condition in Arkansas (71%), Nevada (71%), California (73%) and Louisiana (73%) – the lowest items in 2020–2021. On the contrary, the following three states had the highest shares of Kids with teeth in excellent or very good condition: New Hampshire (84%), Massachusetts (83%) and Vermond (83%).
The tendencies of children’s dental health over time
At national level, the Percentage of children receiving preventive dental care has been reduced by five percentage points since 2018–2019from 80% 75%, and the share of children whose teeth are in excellent or very good condition decreased by two percentage points over the same period. Reduction of dental care is also reflected at a state level, with 43 States and the Columbia District see a drop in rates of dental visit to children between 2018–2019 and 2020–2021.
Reduce preventive dental care of children after 2018–2019 is likely to be related to the impact of Covid-19 The pandemic, as multiple studies have found that many parents have been delayed or had a harder time to receive dental care and medical care during the pandemic.
Policy -executives and other leaders can face structural obstacles to access to dental care to ensure that all children, young people and families have fair access to care.
More health data and dental health resources
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