HC4.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 2017–2018
HC4B Excel Table
HC4B Standard Error Excel Table
| Characteristic | 1988–1994 | 1999–2004 | 2005–2008 | 2009–2010 | 2011–2012 | 2013–2014 | 2015–2016 | 2017–2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 5–17 | ||||||||
| Total | 24.3 | 23.3 | 16.4 | 14.3 | 16.7 | 18.1 | 13.9 | 11.9 |
| Poverty status | ||||||||
| Below 100% poverty | 39.0 | 33.5 | 26.3 | 21.6 | 24.3 | 24.9 | 19.9 | 18.9 |
| 100%–199% poverty | 29.7 | 32.2 | 18.3 | 18.7 | 21.1 | 19.8 | 17.7 | 16.0 |
| 200% poverty and above | 15.2 | 14.5 | 11.9 | 9.6 | 9.8 | 13.9 | 9.8 | 7.3 |
| Race and Hispanic origina | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 19.5 | 19.7 | 13.2 | 11.4 | 13.5 | 16.4 | 12.2 | 10.4 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 33.2 | 28.5 | 22.0 | 21.1 | 21.8 | 24.0 | 18.4 | 12.7 |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | — | — | — | — | 15.5 | 15.5 | 12.2 | 18.1 |
| Hispanic | — | — | — | 18.8 | 21.9 | 20.4 | 14.7 | 13.5 |
| Mexican American | 38.3 | 34.1 | 22.0 | 21.4 | 23.9 | 22.3 | 15.3 | 13.5 |
| Ages 5–11 | ||||||||
| Total | 27.8 | 27.1 | 20.4 | 15.9 | 19.4 | 16.9 | 15.4 | 14.1 |
| Poverty status | ||||||||
| Below 100% poverty | 43.4 | 37.5 | 30.6 | 23.4 | 24.3 | 22.1 | 24.0 | 21.7 |
| 100%–199% poverty | 31.7 | 36.1 | 22.9 | 20.1 | 24.8 | 18.4 | 18.2 | 21.0 |
| 200% poverty and above | 18.1 | 17.3 | 15.0 | 10.6 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 10.5 | 8.1 |
| Race and Hispanic origina | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 23.0 | 23.3 | 17.7 | 12.4 | 15.1 | 14.7 | 14.6 | 10.6 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 34.3 | 32.1 | 26.3 | 18.5 | 25.9 | 21.8 | 21.0 | 15.2 |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | — | — | — | — | 18.7 | 16.8 | 10.6 | 25.9 |
| Hispanic | — | — | — | 23.8 | 26.0 | 20.2 | 14.6 | 17.9 |
| Mexican American | 42.5 | 39.1 | 25.0 | 27.4 | 26.3 | 21.1 | 14.6 | 18.4 |
| Ages 12–17 | ||||||||
| Total | 20.0 | 18.8 | 11.9 | 12.5 | 13.7 | 19.4 | 12.4 | 9.4 |
| Poverty status | ||||||||
| Below 100% poverty | 32.5 | 28.1 | 20.3 | 19.3 | 24.2 | 28.6 | 14.2 | 15.2 |
| 100%–199% poverty | 27.4 | 26.8 | 12.4 | 16.9 | 17.1 | 21.5 | 17.2 | 10.6 |
| 200% poverty and above | 11.7 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 8.5 | 6.8 | 13.9 | 9.2 | 6.5 |
| Race and Hispanic origina | ||||||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 15.2 | 15.5 | 8.6 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 18.2 | 9.9 | 10.3 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 31.9 | 24.2 | 17.3 | 23.9 | 17.5 | 26.5 | 15.6 | ‡ |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | — | — | — | — | 12.4 | 14.2 | 13.8 | ‡ |
| Hispanic | — | — | — | 12.4 | 17.0 | 20.7 | 14.9 | 7.8 |
| Mexican American | 32.8 | 27.3 | 17.9 | 13.8 | 20.9 | 23.7 | 16.1 | 7.6 |
| — Not available. | ||||||||
| ‡ Reporting standards not met; estimates are considered unreliable. | ||||||||
| a For 1988–1994, 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. For 1999–2010, 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." Beginning in 1999, those in each racial category represent those reporting only one race. Data from 1999 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 American origin may be of any race. From 1988 to 2006, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) sample was designed to provide estimates specifically for persons of Mexican American origin. Beginning in 2007, NHANES allows for reporting of both total Hispanics and Mexican Americans. | ||||||||
| 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.htmM. | ||||||||
| SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. | ||||||||