Dental sealants in children’s teeth have increased from the early 1970s until the latest (1999-2004) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In spite of this improvement, significant disparities remain in some population groups.
Table 1 presents sealant prevalence for children aged 6–11 years and for selected subgroups.
Prevalence (Table 1)
- 30% of children 6 to 11 have dental sealants.
- Younger children, Black and Hispanic children, and those living in families with lower incomes have fewer sealants
Table 1: Children, Percent with Sealants in Permanent Teeth
Prevalence of sealants in permanent teeth among youths 6–11 years of age, by selected characteristics:
United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004
Characteristic
| Percent of children with dental sealants |
Age | |
6 to 8 years | 20.28 |
9 to 11 years | 40.12 |
| |
Sex | |
Male | 28.81 |
Female | 32.42 |
| |
Race and Ethnicity | |
White, non-Hispanic | 36.06 |
Black, non-Hispanic | 21.26 |
Mexican American | 24.22 |
| |
Poverty Status (Income compared to Federal Poverty Level) | |
Less than 100% | 20.94 |
100% to 199% | 23.38 |
Greater than 200% | 40.06 |
| |
Overall | 30.48 |
Data Source: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has been an important source of information on oral health and dental care in the United States since the early 1970s. Tables 1 through 4 present the latest NHANES (collected between 1999 and 2004) data regarding dental sealants in children.