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 In
a national study, 66 percent
of children ages 2-4 from families
with annual incomes of less than $10,000
had not had a dental visit the preceding
year.
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Every infant and child can enjoy good
oral health. However, preventable oral diseases still
afflict many U.S. children, especially children from
families with low incomes, children in certain minority
groups, and children with special health care needs.[2]
The Surgeon General’s Report on Oral Health
identifies a “silent epidemic” of dental
and oral diseases, and it calls for a national effort
to improve oral health among Americans.[3]
The following facts show that we still
have a long way to go in improving oral heath in the
United States:
- Vulnerable populations of children (especially
children from families with low incomes, those who
are homeless, those in families without dental insurance,
and those with special health care needs) have more
oral health problems and less access to care than
the general population. These children suffer from
frequent — often urgent — oral health
problems and generally receive inadequate care.[4]
- Children from families with incomes below 199
percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) are three
times as likely to have an unmet oral health care
need as children from families with incomes above
or at 200 percent of the FPL.[5]
- Many children from families with annual incomes
of less than $10,000 do not have access to oral
health services. In a national study, 66 percent
of children ages 2-4 had not had a dental visit
the preceding year.[4]
- Factors contributing to inadequate access include
geographic maldistribution of oral health professionals,
inadequate number of dentists treating Medicaid-eligible
children, relatively few pediatric dentists who
may be more likely to treat Medicaid-eligible children,
individuals’ knowledge and attitudes concerning
oral health, and other difficulties reaching culturally
diverse populations.[6]
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