Almost one-quarter of U.S. children do not receive the recommended number of dental checkups, according to a study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Researchers from the department’s Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, examined sociodemographic and economic factors associated with 35,938 children younger than 18 years of age who had dental visits during 1998. As an evaluation guideline, they used the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and HRSA recommendations that parents take children to the dentist twice annually.
Nearly one-half of the children did not receive the recommended number of yearly dental visits, and very young children were the least likely to receive dental care. Twenty-one percent of all children did not visit the dentist at all. Uninsured children, those living in or near the federal poverty level, children with young parents or parents with less than a college education, and Hispanic and African-American children were the least likely to get recommended dental care.
More than two-thirds of all children received at least one yearly dental visit, which researchers say indicates families’ interest in preventive care.
There still is much need for improvement, researchers said, among public programs in providing recommended dental care, especially among adolescents and children in poor general health.
Barriers to preventive dental care may be based on lack of knowledge or resources, according to researchers. Researchers suggest increasing outreach programs to educate parents about the benefits of dental care and to make dental referrals and encourage pediatricians to give families preventive dental guidance.
