Latest Data
Explore data for reference objectives
Dental Sealants (OH-12.2 and OH-12.3)
Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going
Over the past decade, the percentage of persons aged 2 years and older who had a dental visit in the past 12 months decreased slightly from 42.7% in 2000 to 42.1% in 2010 (age adjusted), although this change was not statistically significant. The ability to access oral health care was associated with sex, age, educational attainment, family income, race and ethnicity, health insurance coverage, marital status, disability status, and obesity status. Annual dental visits improve access to preventive dental services and interventions such as the application of dental sealants. Prevalence of dental sealants varies by poverty status among children, and by race and ethnicity among adolescents.
Leading Health Indicators
Explore the trends and disparities for each indicator.
Use of oral health care system (OH-7)
Use of oral health care system (OH-7)
- Healthy People 2020 objective OH-7 tracks the proportion of persons aged 2 years and over who had a dental visit in the past 12 months.
- HP2020 Baseline: In 2007, 44.5% of persons aged 2 years and over who had a dental visit in the past 12 months (age adjusted).
- HP2020 Target: 49.0% (age adjusted), or 10 percent improvement
- Over the past decade, the rate of persons aged 2 years and over who had a dental visit in the past 12 months, decreased 1.4% between 2000 and 2010, from 42.7% to 42.1% (age adjusted), though this change was not statistically significant.
- Since the establishment of the Healthy People 2020 baseline, the rate of persons aged 2 years and over who had a dental visit in the past 12 months, decreased 5.4% between 2007 and 2010, from 44.5% to 42.1% (age adjusted).
- Females had a higher percentage with a dental visit in the past year, 45.4% (age-adjusted) than males 38.7% (age adjusted) in 2010.
- Among education status groups, adults (25+ years) who have attained at least some college education, had the highest percentage of dental visits in the past year 55.6% (age-adjusted), compared to 15.8% for those with less than a high school education in 2010.
- When expressed as adults aged 25 years and over without a dental visit in the past year, the rate for those with less than a high school education was nearly twice that of the population with at least some college education.
- Among family income groups, people aged 2 years and over living in families with incomes of 400% of the federal poverty threshold or more had the highest percentage of having a dental visit in the past year, 55.7% (age-adjusted), compared to 26.8% for those below the poverty threshold in 2010.
- When expressed as persons aged 2 years and over without a dental visit in the past year, the percentage for those with family incomes below the poverty threshold and between 100% and 199% of the poverty threshold was more than one and a half times that for those with family incomes more than 400% of the poverty threshold.
- Among racial and ethnic groups, white non-Hispanic persons aged 2 years and over had highest percentage with a dental visit in the past year 47.5% (age-adjusted), compared to 28.7% for Hispanics in 2010.
- When expressed as persons without a dental visit in the past year, percentages for black non-Hispanic and Hispanic populations were 30% and 36% higher than that of the white non-Hispanic population.
- Persons aged 2-64 years with private health insurance had the highest percentage of dental visits in the past year 49.9% (age-adjusted), compared to 19.9% for the uninsured population in 2010.
- When expressed as persons aged 2-64 years without a dental visit in the past year, the percentage for the uninsured population was more than one and a half times that for those with private health insurance.
Persons Without a Dental Visit by Sex, 2010
SOURCE: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), AHRQ.
- Persons aged 2 to 17 years had the highest percentage with a dental visit, 50.4%, among broad age groups in 2010. Percentages for the other age groups were:
- 35.2% among persons aged 18-44.
- 45.0% among persons aged 45-64 years.
- 43.3% among persons aged 65 years and over.
- When further refining the age groups, persons aged 5 to 11 years had the highest percentage with a dental visit, 56.3% in 2010. Percentages for the other age groups were:
- 30.7% among persons aged 2-4 years,
- 53.8% among persons aged 12-17 years,
- 33.1% among persons aged 18-24 years.
- 35.9% among persons aged 25-44 years.
- 42.4% among persons aged 45-54 years.
- 48.6% among persons aged 55-64 years.
- 46.9% among persons aged 65-74 years.
- 41.5% among persons aged 75-84 years.
- 33.5% among persons aged 85 years and over.
Endnotes:
- All disparities described are statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. To maintain comparability across indicators, disparities are computed using adverse events. Data (except those by educational attainment, health insurance coverage, marital status, obesity status and age group) are age adjusted to the 2000 standard population using the age groups 2-17, 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75 years and over. Data by educational attainment are adjusted using the age groups 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, and 75 years and over. Data by health insurance coverage are adjusted using the age groups 2-17, 18-44, 45-54, 55-64. Data by marital status are adjusted using the age groups 18-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+. Data by obesity status are adjusted using the age groups 20-39, 40-59, 60+. Data by age group are not age adjusted. Age-adjusted rates are weighted sums of age-specific rates.
- The terms “Hispanic or Latino” and “Hispanic” are used interchangeably in this report.
- Data for this measure are available annually and come from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), AHRQ.
Reference Objectives
Reference objectives are Healthy People 2020 objectives closely tied to one or more of the LHI objectives.
Dental Sealants (OH-12.2 and OH-12.3)
Annual dental visits improve access to preventive dental services and interventions, including the application of dental sealants. Sealants, daily brushing and flossing, drinking fluoridated water, and regular dental check-ups are an important part of children’s oral health and the best defense against tooth decay. Application of dental sealant can help to improve oral health for children.
Dental sealants among children 6 to 9 years (OH-12.2)
- Healthy People 2020 objective OH-12.2 tracks the proportion of children aged 6 to 9 years who have dental sealants on one or more of their first permanent molar teeth.
- HP2020 Baseline: 25.5% of children aged 6 to 9 years had dental sealants on at least one permanent molar tooth in 1999-2004.
- Most Recent Data: 32.1% in 2009-2010.
- HP2020 Target: 28.1% or 10 percent improvement
Dental sealants among children 13 to 15 years (OH-12.3)
- Healthy People 2020 objective OH-12.3 tracks the proportion of adolescents aged 13 to 15 years who have dental sealants on one or more of their first and second permanent molar teeth.
- HP2020 Baseline: 19.9% of adolescents aged 13 to 15 years had dental sealants on at least one first and one second permanent molar tooth in 1999-2004.
- Most Recent Data: 50.5% in 2009-2010.
- HP2020 Target: 21.9%, or 10 percent improvemen
- Among racial and ethnic groups, the non-Hispanic white population had the highest rate of adolescents aged 13 to 15 with recommended dental sealants, 56.0%, compared to 42.8% for Mexican Americans and 32.2% for non-Hispanic blacks in 2009–2010.
- When expressed as adolescents aged 13 to 15 years without recommended dental sealants, the rate for the black non-Hispanic population was 54% higher than that for the white non-Hispanic white population, whereas the rate for the Mexican-American population was 30% higher than that for the white non-Hispanic population.
OH-12.2 and OH-12.3 Endnotes:
- All disparities described are statistically significant at the 0.05 level of significance. To maintain comparability across indicators, disparities are computed using adverse events.
- Data for this measure are available biennially and come from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC/NCHS. Preferably four to six years of data are pooled for analysis when available, but two-year data are used as a placeholder to provide the latest data available.
Back to Top
