Oral Health

Oral health is an essential component of overall health.49 Good oral health requires both self-care and professional care. Regular dental visits provide an opportunity for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of oral and craniofacial diseases and conditions. Routine dental visits are recommended beginning at 1 year of age.50 However, dental caries (i.e., cavities) continue to be one of the most common diseases of childhood and remain a significant problem among children in some racial and ethnic groups and among children in poverty.51, 52

Indicator HC4.A: Percentage of children ages 5–17 with a dental visit in the past year by age and poverty status, 2011–2020
Indicator HC4.A: Percentage of children ages 5–17 with a dental visit in the past year by age and poverty status, 2011–2020

NOTE: Before 2019, children were identified as having a dental visit in the past year by asking parents, "About how long has it been since [child's name] last saw a dentist?" Parents were directed to include all types of dentists, such as orthodontists, oral surgeons, and all other dental specialists, as well as dental hygienists. Starting in 2019, children are identified as having a dental visit in the past year by asking parents, "About how long has it been since [child's name] last had a dental examination or cleaning?" Parents are directed to include cleanings from all types of dental care providers, such as dentists, orthodontists, oral surgeons, dental hygienists, and all other specialists. In 2019, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) questionnaire was redesigned. Although the wording of the question identifying dental visits in the past year changed slightly in 2019, this change did not impact the measurement of dental visits. However, due to other changes to weighting and design methodology starting with the 2019 NHIS, data for 2019 onward are not strictly comparable with data for earlier years. Questions about dental care are on a rotating core scheduled to appear on the questionnaire for two consecutive years every three years starting in 2019. For more information on the 2019 NHIS redesign, see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/2019_quest_redesign.htm.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey.

  • In 2020, 89% of children ages 5–17 had a dental visit in the past year, down from 91% in 2019. Children ages 5–11 (91%) were more likely to have had a dental visit in the past year compared with adolescents ages 12–17 (88%).
  • From 2011 to 2019, among both children ages 5–11 and adolescents ages 12–17, the percentage of children with a dental visit in the past year was higher among those with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level than those with family incomes below poverty or with family incomes at 100%–199% of the poverty level.
  • Among children ages 5–11 in 2020, 92% of children with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level had a dental visit in the past year, which was 6 percentage points higher than those with family incomes at 100%–199% of the poverty level (86%). There was no significant difference between those with family incomes below poverty and those with family incomes at 100%–199% of the poverty level or those with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level.
  • Among adolescents ages 12–17 in 2020, 91% of adolescents with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level had a dental visit in the past year, which was 14 percentage points higher than those with family incomes below poverty (77%) and 7 percentage points higher than those with family incomes at 100%–199% of the poverty level (85%). There was no significant difference between those with family incomes below poverty and those with family incomes at 100%–199% of the poverty level.

Indicator HC4.B: Percentage of children ages 5–17 with untreated dental caries (cavities) by age and poverty status, selected years 1999–2004 through 2017–March 2020
Indicator HC4.B: Percentage of children ages 5–17 with untreated dental caries (cavities) by age and poverty status, selected years 1999–2004 through 2017–March 2020

NOTE: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) program suspended field operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, data collection for the 2019–2020 cycle was not completed. Therefore, data collected from 2019 to March 2020 were combined with data from the 2017–2018 cycle to create a 2017–March 2020 pre-pandemic file. This file covers 3.2 years of data collection. For more information, see: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/continuousnhanes/overviewbrief.aspx?Cycle=2017-2020.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey.

  • The percentage of children ages 5–11 with untreated dental caries (i.e., cavities) decreased from 27% in 1999–2004 to 16% in 2009–2010 and then did not significantly change through 2017–March 2020. In 2017–March 2020, 15% of children ages 5–11 had untreated dental caries.
  • The percentage of children ages 12–17 with untreated dental caries did not significantly change from 1999–2004 to 2017–March 2020. In 2017–March 2020, 9% of children ages 12–17 had untreated dental caries.
  • Among children ages 5–11 in 2017–March 2020, the percentage with untreated dental caries for children in poverty was 23%—more than two times as high as the percentage for children with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level (9%).
  • Among adolescents ages 12–17 in 2017–March 2020, the percentage with untreated dental caries for adolescents in poverty was 15%—more than two times as high as the percentage of adolescents with family incomes at or above 200% of the poverty level (6%).

table icon HC4A HTML Table | HC4B HTML Table

49 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Oral Health. (2019). Children's oral health [Website]. http://www.cdc.gov/OralHealth/children_adults/child.htm.

50 Krol, D. M., & Section on Oral Health Executive Committee, 2012–2013. (2014). Maintaining and improving the oral health of young children. Pediatrics, 134(6), 1224–1229. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-060417.

51 National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. (2021). Oral health in America: Advances and challenges. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/Oral-Health-in-America-Advances-and-Challenges.pdf.

52 Dye, B. A., Thornton-Evans, G., Li, X., & Iafolla, T. J. (2015). Dental caries and sealant prevalence in children and adolescents in the United States, 2011–2012 (NCHS Data Brief No. 191). National Center for Health Statistics.