Racial/ethnic disparities in preventive dental services use and dental caries among children. 2023

Huabin Luo, and Mark E Moss, and Wanda Wright, and Michael Webb, and Vanessa Pardi, and Suzanne Lazorick
Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.

To assess disparities in preventive dental service use in four major racial/ethnic groups and assess whether racial/ethnic and income-related disparities among children were reduced from 2016 to 2020. Data were from the 2016 and 2020 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). The outcomes of interest were having dental sealants, fluoride treatment, and dental caries in the past 12 months. Racial/ethnic groups included non-Hispanic (NH) whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and others. Family income level was categorized as below or above the 200% federal poverty level (low-income vs. high-income). Children ages 2-17 were included (N = 161,539). All data were self-reported by parents/guardians. We estimated the trends of racial/ethnic disparities in having fluoride treatment, dental sealants, and dental caries from 2016 to 2020 and tested two 2-way interactions (i.e., year by race/ethnicity, year by income) and one 3-way interaction (year by income by race/ethnicity) to assess the change in disparities from 2016 to 2020. Overall, no significant trends in receipt of fluoride treatment, dental sealants, or having dental caries were found from 2016 to 2020 among the racial/ethnic groups, except for a decreasing trend in dental sealants for Asian American children (p = 0.03). Overall, NH white children were more likely to have received preventive dental services than children from minority groups (all p < 0.05); Asian American children (AOR = 1.31) were more likely to have dental caries than NH white children. Disparities in receipt of evidence-based preventive services by children persisted. Continuous efforts are needed to promote the use of preventive dental services among children of minority populations.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010895 Pit and Fissure Sealants Agents used to occlude dental enamel pits and fissures in the prevention of dental caries. Dental Sealant,Dental Sealants,Fissure Sealant,Fissure Sealants,Pit And Fissure Sealant,Pit Fissure Sealant,Sealants, Tooth,Pit Fissure Sealants,Sealants, Dental,Fissure Sealant, Pit,Fissure Sealants, Pit,Sealant, Dental,Sealant, Fissure,Sealant, Pit Fissure,Sealant, Tooth,Sealants, Fissure,Sealants, Pit Fissure,Tooth Sealant,Tooth Sealants
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D003729 Dental Care The total of dental diagnostic, preventive, and restorative services provided to meet the needs of a patient (from Illustrated Dictionary of Dentistry, 1982). Care, Dental
D003731 Dental Caries Localized destruction of the tooth surface initiated by decalcification of the enamel followed by enzymatic lysis of organic structures and leading to cavity formation. If left unchecked, the cavity may penetrate the enamel and dentin and reach the pulp. Caries, Dental,Carious Lesions,Dental Cavities,Dental Cavity,Dental Decay,Dental White Spots,Carious Dentin,Decay, Dental,Dental White Spot,White Spot, Dental,White Spots, Dental,Carious Dentins,Carious Lesion,Cavities, Dental,Cavity, Dental,Dentin, Carious,Dentins, Carious,Lesion, Carious,Lesions, Carious,Spot, Dental White,Spots, Dental White
D005006 Ethnicity A group of people with a common cultural heritage that sets them apart from others in a variety of social relationships. Ethnic Groups,Nationality,Ethnic Group,Nationalities
D005459 Fluorides Inorganic salts of hydrofluoric acid, HF, in which the fluorine atom is in the -1 oxidation state. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Sodium and stannous salts are commonly used in dentifrices. Fluoride
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481 United States A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D054625 Healthcare Disparities Differences in access to or availability of medical facilities and services. Disparities, Healthcare,Health Care Disparities,Health Care Inequalities,Healthcare Disparity,Healthcare Inequalities,Disparities, Health Care,Disparity, Health Care,Disparity, Healthcare,Health Care Disparity,Health Care Inequality,Healthcare Inequality,Inequalities, Health Care,Inequalities, Healthcare,Inequality, Health Care,Inequality, Healthcare

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