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Oral
Health
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Reduce
tooth decay in preschool children.
Target:
1.30 average number of decayed, missing, and filled primary teeth
(dmft).
Baseline, 1999: 1.45 average number of decayed, missing,
and filled primary teeth (dmtf).
Target Setting Method: 10 percent improvement.
Increase
the proportion of 5th Graders whose permanent teeth are free of
decay.
Target:
87 percent.
Baseline, 1999: 79 percent of fifth grade children have
never had a cavity in a permanent tooth.
Target Setting Method: 10 percent improvement.
Increase
the proportion of children under age 19 at or below 200 percent
of the Federal Poverty Level who received any preventive dental
service during the past year.
Developmental
Objective, baseline data to be collected and analyzed by
2001.
Increase
the proportion of adults who visited a dentist within the past year.
Target:
73.9 percent.
Baseline, 1999: 67.2 percent of adults 18 years and older
visited a dentist during the past year.
Target Setting Method: 10 percent improvement.
Decrease
the proportion of adults, ages 45 to 64 years, who lost 5 or more
teeth due to tooth decay or gum disease.
Target:
20 percent.
Baseline, 1999: 22.3 percent of adults, ages 45 to 64
years, had a tooth removed due to decay or gum disease.
Target Setting Method: 10 percent improvement.
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Oral
Health
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Oral health is the single most common health
problem among children. Forty-four percent of all North Carolina children
experience dental disease. Oral health is an important factor in the
normal growth and development of children. Lack of adequate dental
care can result in pain, inability to eat, retarded growth, missed
school days, difficulty learning, speech problems, poor nutrition,
and loss of self-esteem. While all states are required to provide
dental care to Medicaid-eligible children, use of dental services
by this population is extremely low. Thirty-eight percent of North
Carolina’s kindergarten children already have dental decay, and
23 percent have untreated decay. In addition, only 16 percent of North
Carolina dentists participate in the Medicaid program in 1998. North
Carolina suffers a shortage of dentists, with pediatric dentists in
especially short supply. A similar shortage exists for dental hygienists.
In North Carolina, there are 38 dentists per 100,000 population (national
average is 60/100,000), and only 43 pediatric dentists for the entire
state. Dental disease is largely preventable and an increased emphasis
on prevention would lessen the need for care. |
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Disparities
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Oral health is largely associated with socio-demographic
factors. At the national level, as few as three percent of poor children
have dental sealants compared to the overall national average of 23
percent. Untreated dental caries among African American/Black and
Hispanic/Latino children (less than eight years old) is greater than
for White children. Adults with some college were more likely to have
had an oral cancer examination within the past year and have less
destructive periodontal disease than those adults with a high school
education or less. Among persons age 65 and older, those with less
education were more likely to have lost all their natural teeth, compared
to those with at least some college. |
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Determinants/Risk
Factors
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Low socio-economic status, lack of access
to oral health care, inadequate education about the importance of
oral health, and poor/high-sugar diet |
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| Oral
Health |
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