Facts About Oral Health In America
Groundbreaking research released in 2003 by
the Surgeon General showed that oral diseases are progressive and
cumulative and become more complex over time. They can affect our
ability to eat, the foods we choose, how we look, and the way we communicate.
These diseases can affect economic productivity and compromise our
ability to work at home, at school, or on the job. Health disparities
exist across population groups at all ages. Over one third of the
U.S. population (100 million people) has no access to community water
fluoridation. Over 108 million children and adults lack dental insurance,
which is over 2.5 times the number who lack medical insurance. Highlights
of the oral health data for children include:
Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease—five
times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay
fever.
Over 50 percent of 5- to 9-year-old children have at least one cavity
or filling, and that proportion increases to 78 percent among 17-year-olds.
Nevertheless, these figures represent improvements in the oral health
of children compared to a generation ago.
There are striking disparities in dental disease by income. Poor children
suffer from twice as many dental cavities as their more affluent peers,
and their cavities are more likely to be untreated. These poor / non-poor
differences continue into adolescence. One out of four children in
America is born into poverty, and children living below the poverty
line (annual income of $18,500 for a family of four) have more severe
and untreated tooth decay.
Professional care is necessary for maintaining oral health, yet 25
percent of poor children have not seen a dentist before entering kindergarten.
Medical insurance is a strong predictor of access to dental care.
Uninsured children are 2.5 times less likely than insured children
to receive dental care. Children from families without dental insurance
are three times more likely to have dental needs than children with
either public or private insurance. For each child without medical
insurance, there are at least 2.6 children without dental insurance.
Medicaid has not been able to fill the gap in providing dental care
to poor children. Less than one in five Medicaid-covered children
received a single dental visit in a recent year-long study period.
Although new programs such as the State Children's Health Insurance
Program (SCHIP) may increase the number of insured children, many
will still be left without effective dental coverage.
The social impact of oral diseases in children is substantial. More
than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related
illness. Poor children miss 12 times as many school days than do children
from higher-income families. Pain and suffering due to untreated diseases
can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and attending to learning. |
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