Preventive Dental Care

Indicator Definition
Children (ages 1–17 years) reported by parents to have received one or more preventive dental visit during the past 12 months.

Children receiving one or more preventive dental visit in last 12 months in Colorado3

Children receiving one or more preventive dental visit in last 12 months by income in Colorado4

Indicator Significance
Tooth decay is one of the most common diseases of childhood – five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. More than one-quarter of children ages 2-5 and half of children ages 12-15 have experienced tooth decay. These problems often interfere with a child's ability to succeed in school: Data show that on average 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illnesses in the United States. Speech, nutrition, growth and social development can also be adversely affected by tooth decay. Children who are uninsured are more likely to have unmet dental need: In 2009, only 34 percent of uninsured children ages 2-4 had a dental visit, whereas 56 percent of privately insured children and 59 percent of publicly insured children had a dental visit.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that parents take their children for an initial oral health assessment between ages 1 and 2, and every six months thereafter. A regular diet of nutritious foods low in sugar is highly effective in preventing tooth decay.¹

Colorado Specifics
Colorado ranks in the bottom tier of states (38 of 50) for children reported to have received one or more preventive dental visits in the past 12 months. Disparities exist for children living at various income levels. Only 55 percent of children living in households below the federal poverty level received one or more preventive dental visit in Colorado in 2007, while close to 90 percent of children living in higher-income households (above 400 percent of the federal poverty level) received such care.

Promising Initiative
Cavity Free at Three (CF3), created in 2006, is an early childhood caries (cavity) prevention program for low-income mothers and their babies. This evidence-based program seeks to prevent the transmission of bacteria from mother to child through education and oral health care for children up to 3 years old. Engaging health professionals, public health practitioners and early childhood educators, CF3 increases at-risk mothers' access to caries detection services and provides technical assistance to health care providers so they may conduct oral health screenings. In April 2010, CF3 received national recognition from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Health Care Innovations Exchange for its ability to improve care quality for these women and children and reduce oral hygiene disparities.

CF3 became a permanent part of the Colorado Area Health Education Center System in 2009. As of November 2011, the program has provided 15,000 children and families with dental services and distributed 14,000 oral health kits. CF3 trainers have conducted 62 educational presentations, reaching more than 1,200 health care providers. Ten Colorado communities have received CF3 grants totaling $1.5 million funded by the Colorado Health Foundation, Caring for Colorado Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and Rose Community Foundation.²

Children receiving one or more preventive dental visit in last 12 months⁵

Text

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, "Oral Health: Preventing Cavities, Gum Disease, Tooth Loss and Oral Cancers," July 2011.
   
   National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2009.
   
   Kaiser Family Foundation, "Dental Coverage and Care for Low-income Children: The role of Medicaid and SCHIP," July 2008.
   
   
2. Cavity Free at Three.
   
   The Colorado Trust.

Charts

3. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Children's Health, 2003 and 2007.
4. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Children's Health, 2007.
5. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Survey of Children's Health, 2007.