Forum on Child and Family StatisticsHC4.B Oral health: Percentage of children ages 5–17 with untreated dental caries (cavities) by age, poverty status, and race and Hispanic origin, selected years 1988–1994 through 2017–March 2020
HC4B Excel Table
HC4B Standard Error Excel Table
| Characteristic | 1988–1994 | 1999–2004 | 2005–2008 | 2009–2010 | 2011–2012 | 2013–2014 | 2015–2016 | 2017–March 2020a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 5–17 | ||||||||
| Total | 24.3 | 23.3 | 16.4 | 14.3 | 16.7 | 18.1 | 13.9 | 12.2 |
| Poverty status | ||||||||
| Below 100% poverty | 39.0 | 33.5 | 26.3 | 21.6 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 19.9 | 19.4 |
| 100%–199% poverty | 29.7 | 32.2 | 18.3 | 18.7 | 21.1 | 19.8 | 17.7 | 15.9 |
| 200% poverty and above | 15.2 | 14.5 | 11.9 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 13.9 | 9.8 | 8.0 |
| Race and Hispanic originb | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 19.5 | 19.7 | 13.2 | 11.4 | 13.5 | 16.4 | 12.2 | 11.6 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 33.2 | 28.5 | 22.0 | 21.1 | 21.8 | 24.0 | 18.4 | 13.1 |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | — | — | — | — | 15.5 | 15.5 | 12.2 | 13.1 |
| Hispanic | — | — | — | 18.8 | 21.9 | 20.4 | 14.7 | 11.9 |
| Mexican American | 38.3 | 34.1 | 22.0 | 21.4 | 23.9 | 22.3 | 15.3 | 12.5 |
| Ages 5–11 | ||||||||
| Total | 27.8 | 27.1 | 20.4 | 15.9 | 19.4 | 16.9 | 15.4 | 14.8 |
| Poverty status | ||||||||
| Below 100% poverty | 43.4 | 37.5 | 30.6 | 23.4 | 24.3 | 22.1 | 24.0 | 22.7 |
| 100%–199% poverty | 31.7 | 36.1 | 22.9 | 20.1 | 24.8 | 18.4 | 18.2 | 20.1 |
| 200% poverty and above | 18.1 | 17.3 | 15.0 | 10.6 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 10.5 | 9.4 |
| Race and Hispanic originb | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 23.0 | 23.3 | 17.7 | 12.4 | 15.1 | 14.7 | 14.6 | 12.3 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 34.3 | 32.1 | 26.3 | 18.5 | 25.9 | 21.8 | 21.0 | 16.0 |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | — | — | — | — | 18.7 | 16.8 | 10.6 | 18.8 |
| Hispanic | — | — | — | 23.8 | 26.0 | 20.2 | 14.6 | 16.6 |
| Mexican American | 42.5 | 39.1 | 25.0 | 27.4 | 26.3 | 21.1 | 14.6 | 17.7 |
| Ages 12–17 | ||||||||
| Total | 20.0 | 18.8 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.7 | 19.4 | 12.4 | 9.3 |
| Poverty status | ||||||||
| Below 100% poverty | 32.5 | 28.1 | 20.3 | 19.3 | 24.2 | 28.6 | 14.2 | 14.7 |
| 100%–199% poverty | 27.4 | 26.8 | 12.4 | 16.9 | 17.1 | 21.5 | 17.2 | 11.7 |
| 200% poverty and above | 11.7 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 8.5 | 6.8 | 13.9 | 9.2 | 6.5 |
| Race and Hispanic originb | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 15.2 | 15.5 | 8.6 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 18.2 | 9.9 | 10.8 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 31.9 | 24.2 | 17.3 | 23.9 | 17.5 | 26.5 | 15.6 | 10.1 |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | — | — | — | — | 12.4 | 14.2 | 13.8 | ‡ |
| Hispanic | — | — | — | 12.4 | 17.0 | 20.7 | 14.9 | 6.3 |
| Mexican American | 32.8 | 27.3 | 17.9 | 13.8 | 20.9 | 23.7 | 16.1 | 6.5 |
| — Not available. | ||||||||
| ‡ Reporting standards not met; estimates are considered unreliable. | ||||||||
| a 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. | ||||||||
| b For 1988–1994 data, the 1977 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for data on race and ethnicity were used to classify persons into one of the following four racial groups: White, Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or Asian or Pacific Islander. Starting in 1999–2000, the revised 1997 OMB standards were used. Persons could select one or more of five racial groups: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Included in the total but not shown separately are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and "Two or more races." Starting in 1999–2000, those in each racial category represent those reporting only one race. Data from 1999–2000 onward are not directly comparable with data from earlier years. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected separately but combined for reporting. Persons of Mexican origin may be of any race. From 1988–1994 to 2005–2006, the NHANES sample was designed to provide estimates specifically for persons of Mexican American origin. Starting in 2007–2008, the NHANES allows for reporting of both total Hispanic and Mexican American persons. Starting in 2011–2012, the NHANES sample was designed to provide estimates for Asian American persons. | ||||||||
| NOTE: Dental caries is evidence of decay on the crown or enamel surface of a tooth (i.e., coronal caries) and includes treated and untreated caries. Decay in the root (i.e., root caries) was not included. The presence of caries was evaluated in primary and permanent teeth for persons ages 5–17. The third molars were not included. Dental caries was identified by an oral examination as part of the survey. For more information on the NHANES oral examination, see Dye, B. A., Tan, S., Smith, V., Lewis, B. G., Barker, L. K., & Thornton-Evans, G. (2007). Trends in oral health status: United States, 1988–1994 and 1999–2004, Vital and Health Statistics, 11(248), 1–92. National Center for Health Statistics; Dye, B. A., Barker, L. K., Li, X., Lewis, B. G., & Beltrán-Aguilar, E. D. (2011). Overview and quality assurance for the oral health component of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2005–08. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 71(1), 54–61; and https://wwwn.cdc.gov/Nchs/Nhanes/2017-2018/OHXDEN_J.htm. | ||||||||
| SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. | ||||||||
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
