baby teeth

Children's Oral Health: The Silent Crisis

Facts about tooth decay

Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most common chronic disease of childhood; it is five times more frequent than asthma, for example.
25 million children and adolescents account for 80 percent of tooth decay.

5-10 percent of pre-school age children have early childhood caries. This percentage is higher in certain populations. Survey results show that 20 percent of children from low income families and 43 percent of children in some American Indian populations have early childhood caries.
Early childhood caries increases the risk for future tooth decay even if increased preventive measures are implemented. (Almeida et al., Pediatric Dentistry , July/August 2000)
Early childhood caries is associated with poor growth and poor

nutrition in children. (Acs et. al. Pediatric Dentistry Volume 14.) Adult
caries is associated with poor cardiac and obstetrical outcomes. (NIDR)

Children as young as one year old experience untreated dental caries. Among children ages 6-8, 72 percent of American Indian/Alaskan Native children, 50 percent of Hispanic children, 34 percent of black children, and 31 percent of all children experience untreated dental decay. (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services)
More than 50 percent of all children ages 6-8 and more than 75 percent of all 15 year old adolescents experience dental decay (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services)
Almost 53 million school hours are missed annually by children because of oral problems (Gift et al., American Journal of Public Health 82(12))
In a national study 66 percent of children age 2-4 and 47 percent of adolescents ages 12-17 had not had a dental visit the preceding year. (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services)
Parents know it is a problem - Among parents who feel that their

children have unmet health care needs, 57% report that the need is for dental care.( The 1997 National Health Interview Survey)

In 1995, fewer than one in five children eligible for dental services under Medicaid/EPSDT received a preventive denta service, and the trend is worsening. (U.S. Department for Health and Human Services)

In the U.S., 30 percent of all children's health expenditures are devoted to children's dental care (Center for the Future of Children) - a spending rate more than 10 times that of the 2.3 percent expended by Medicaid for children's dental care (Yudkowsky)
A 1996 study estimated that 4.7 million children nationwide

were uninsured, but eligible to enroll in Medicaid.

The Uninsured in Texas

Texas is home to an estimated 1.4 million uninsured children.
At least 88% of these uninsured children are in families with at least one parent working full time. (Families USA 1999)
The state has estimated that about 550,000 to 600,000 of the uninsured children - about 40% of the total - are below 100% of poverty. When those in families with incomes just above poverty are added (up to 150% of poverty). that number jumps to 850,000.
These are not families on cash assistance (those families automatically get Medicaid). They are low-income families struggling to make ends meet - including the more than 350,000 Texans who have left welfare in recent years - but who don't have employer-provided insurance for their families.

Hispanic and African-American children in Texas are uninsured out of proportion to their numbers: of the 1.4 million uninsured children 56% are Hispanic, 14% African American, and 28% Anglo
Uninsured children are concentrated along the Texas-Mexico border in higher numbers than other parts of Texas with similar population numbers. But the problem is not just a Border problem; for example, Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are each home to even more uninsured children than the Border.
Uninsured children are more likely not to receive adequate medical and dental care.
Untreated dental disease can exacerbate and may cause serious infection and threat to the health of children. If left untreated children may ultimately require hospitalization for cellulitis with i.v. antibiotics at much higher cost than that of routine dental care. These costs are shifted to local governments and taxpayers who support public hospitals, local health departments, and tax-exempt non-profit charity providers.

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children's oral health and increase their access to dental care.

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Texas Kids Count
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of Children in Texas