Survey Shows Increasing Numbers of African-American Children Are Accessing Dental Care

Survey Shows Increasing Numbers of African American Children Are Accessing Dental Care

According to a new study published in the July issue of Pediatrics, significant progress has been made in narrowing the gap between African American and white children in their ability to access professional oral health care services. The study analyzed data from National Health Interview Surveys conducted in 1964, 1976, 1989, 1999, and 2010 that looked at the use of dental care services by race.

Comparing the numbers from the 1964 survey to the 2010 survey for children ages 2 years to 17 years, the researchers noted that in 1964, 80% of African American youth had not seen a dentist in the past year, compared to 48% of white youth. By 2010, that figure had fallen to 22% for both groups. In addition, the percentage of African American children who had never seen a dentist fell from 61% percent in 1964 to 9% in 2010. During that same timeframe, the rate for white children improved from 29% to 11%.

While these are positive trends, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research reports that African American children, as well as Hispanic children, still experience much higher rates of dental caries than their white counterparts. The researchers, led by Inyang Isong MD, MPH, SM, of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Child and Adolescent Health Research and Policy in Boston, stress that much more needs to be done to alleviate disparities between ethnic groups in regards to accessing dental care.