Preventive Dental Visit - Children in United States

United States

Oral health is a vital component of health. Untreated oral health issues in children can lead to school absences and poor academic outcomes, and continue to impact oral health into adolescence and adulthood.

Early preventive dental visits can prevent many oral health problems. Fluoride and dental sealants can help prevent cavities, the most common chronic condition for children in the United States. Dental sealants specifically have prevented 80% of back teeth cavities.

Research suggests that more than 34 million school hours are lost every year because of acute or unplanned dental care. Another study found that children who had their first dental visit after age 4, as opposed to earlier, ended up having more dental procedures performed and higher dental care costs.

A study of survey data from the COVID-19 pandemic saw a decline in access to pediatric dental health care. Reports of poor oral health among children increased by 75% between 2019 and 2020, while children’s dental visits decreased by 27%.

According to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, populations with a higher percentage of at least one preventive dental visit in the past year include:

• Older children ages 6-17 compared with younger children ages 1-5.
• Non-Hispanic white children compared with non-Hispanic Black and Asian children.
• Children from higher-income families compared with those from lower-income families. 
• Children from families with higher educational attainment compared with those from families with less education.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that parents and other care providers establish a dental home for their child and have their first dental visit by 12 months of age.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends implementing school-based dental sealant delivery programs in low-income school districts and for select at-risk individuals.

Healthy People 2030 has two objectives related to preventive dental care for children:

• Increasing the proportion of low-income youth who have a preventive dental visit.
• Increasing the proportion of children and adolescents who have dental sealants on one or more molars.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. “Policy on the Dental Home.” In The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry, 35–37. Latest Revision 2023. Chicago, IL: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2023. https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/p_dentalhome.pdf.

Baker, Suzanne D., Jessica Y. Lee, and Robin Wright. “The Importance of the Age One Dental Visit.” Chicago, IL: Pediatric Oral Health Research and Policy Center, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2019. https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policy-center/year1visit.pdf.

Guarnizo-Herreño, Carol Cristina, Wei Lyu, and George L. Wehby. “Children’s Oral Health and Academic Performance: Evidence of a Persisting Relationship Over the Last Decade in the United States.” The Journal of Pediatrics 209 (June 2019): 183-189.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.01.045.

Lyu, Wei, and George L. Wehby. “Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Oral Health and Oral Health Care Use.” The Journal of the American Dental Association 153, no. 8 (August 2022): 787-796.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.02.008.

Naavaal, Shillpa, and Uma Kelekar. “School Hours Lost Due to Acute/Unplanned Dental Care.” Health Behavior and Policy Review 5, no. 2 (March 1, 2018): 66–73. https://doi.org/10.14485/HBPR.5.2.7.

National Institutes of Health. “Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges.” Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2021. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/Oral-Health-in-America-Advances-and-Challenges.pdf.

Nowak, Arthur J., Paul S. Casamassimo, JoAnna Scott, and Richard Moulton. “Do Early Dental Visits Reduce Treatment and Treatment Costs for Children?” Pediatric Dentistry 36, no. 7 (2014): 489–93. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25514078/.

Shearer, D. M., W. Murray Thomson, Jonathan M. Broadbent, and Richie Poulton. “Maternal Oral Health Predicts Their Children’s Caries Experience in Adulthood.” Journal of Dental Research 90, no. 5 (May 2011): 672–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034510393349.