Dental caries, or cavities, is the most common chronic disease among children in the United States.¹ Because of the importance of early identification of children at risk for caries, and the potential benefit of early intervention in young children’s oral health, it is recommended that all children have a dental visit by their first birthday.

The traditional recommendation for preventive care thereafter is that children visit the dentist every 6 months for a checkup, although it is now recognized that such a schedule should be adjusted by the dentist based on each individual child’s needs and susceptibility to disease.^2,3,4 However, many children, particularly young children, receive care that does not even meet the traditional standard. Overall, parents of 72.0 percent of children aged 1 or older reported that their children had received at least one preventive dental visit in the past year. This rate was highest among children aged 6 to 11; of these children, 83.7 percent visited a dentist at least once for preventive care. Among adolescents aged 12-17, 79.8 percent received preventive dental care in the past year.

The use of preventive dental care among younger children is much less common. Among preschool children (aged 1 to 5), the proportion who have seen a dentist for preventive care rises with age, from 10.1 percent of 1-year-olds to 77.2 percent of 5-year-olds. Not until age 3 are even half of children reported to have had a preventive dental visit in the past year.

The likelihood of receiving annual preventive dental care appears to vary by demographic factors such as race and ethnicity and family income. Among White children, 77.0 percent received at least one preventive dental visit in the past year, as did 68.1 percent of multiracial children and 66.4 percent of Black children. The lowest rate of preventive dental care was seen in Hispanic children, of whom 60.9 percent received a visit. Among children of other races, 70.3 percent saw a dentist for preventive care in the past year.

Children in low-income families are less likely to receive preventive dental care than children with higher family incomes. Among children with family incomes below the Federal poverty level (FPL), 58.1 percent saw a dentist for preventive care in the past year, compared with 65.8 percent of children with family incomes between 100 and 199 percent of the FPL, 77.0 percent of children with family incomes between 200 and 399 percent of FPL, and 82.4 percent of children with family incomes of 400 percent of FPL or more.

Children with special health care needs are more likely to receive preventive dental care than children without special health care needs (78.4 versus 70.6 percent.)

1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Oral health in America: a report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2000.

2 Casamassimo P, Holt K. Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health—Pocket Guide. Washington, DC: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center; 2004.

3 American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Policy on early childhood caries (ECC): classifications, consequences, and preventive strategies. Chicago, IL: The Academy; 2004-2005.

4 Casamassimo P. Bright Futures in Practice: Oral Health. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, 1996.

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