I was shocked to learn that 25% of the children in California have never seen a dentist -- or should I say I was a little confused...
The study titled "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dental Care for Publicly Insured Children," published in the July issue of the journal Health Affairs, notes that African American and Latino children with various types of insurance, were less likely than Asian American and white children to have visited the dentist in the previous six months -- or even in their entire lifetime. The study examined data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. The study contains data on nearly 11,000 children under the age on eleven. Nadereh Pourat, Ph.D., director of research planning at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, stresses that, "The findings suggest that having insurance isn't always enough," adding, "We need to address the other barriers that keep children from getting the help they need."
Alright, you are probably wondering why I am so confused; right? Well, you see, California is one of the few States where new kindergarten students were required by law to have an oral examination prior to attending school. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 1433 in 2006. I am curious to know how the study would differ if UCLA looked at data after 2006? Granted, kindergarten students account for only part of the 11,000 children in the 2005 data, but you would think the number of children that have seen a dentist would be higher in California because of their kindergarten oral health requirement law.
The numbers will undoubtedly change, now that the kindergarten oral health requirement (AB 1433) in California has been designated a Tier 3 program. Funding for Tier 3 programs was reduced, and districts are no longer obligated to participate in Tier 3 programs. Schools are still encouraged to educate students and parents about the importance of regular dental examinations, and collect and submit AB 1433 data but, as far as I understand, it is no longer required by law to have the dental examination. Could this mean that the percentage of children that have never visited the dentist will rise?
The article does not specify whether the odd 25%of children who never see the dentists are having dental problems or in perfect health. Does that means that after decades of indoctrinations and highly-toted-results of the effectiveness of fluorided tap water and toothpaste in prevention of teeth decay, dentists still require each and everyone to contribute to their luxury yatchs?
Although our teeth are in perfect condition or not, I think we should still has a regular dentist appointment because they have all the necessary equipmentsto detect any possible defects in out teeth. Prevention is still always better than cure.
Interesting…but I too would like some additional information. Certainly there are plenty of parents that think they don’t need to take their children to the dentist until they have permanent teeth (they are completely wrong, but a common perception).
Just Checking Any Particular Group of Child ,You Could not give statistics clear about how many children follow dentist path …
united states is famous for their civilization ,children mostly prefer chocolate, pizza and many junk food which is not good for teeth and health too… so 25% is just show some warning for children and their parents . so that they prevent their children from gum disease and stomach problem too.
I think all kids should visit the dentist while they are still young. I know parents who think they don’t need their younger children to go because their baby teeth all fall out anyway. The fact is, if you don’t teach your kids how to take care of their teeth when they’re young, how are they going to learn how when they’re adults?
If you think you might be suffering from gum disease, you will want to schedule an appointment with a Periodontist.
Oh my gosh! I am from California and I cannot believe one in four children have not seen a dentist! That honestly is so shocking and really sad. I really hope that something can be done about this.
So with the law are there any provisions to help those that don’t have insurance to find and pay for seeing a dentist; because dental work can be relatively expensive for some.
I think that’s horrible. We need to better educate children on the importance of dentistry, but from this news it sounds like we need to better educate the parents. If you are living in the Salt Lake City area and haven’t been to the dentist in a while go to the Dentist Professionals, find their info here: http://dentalprosutah.com/dental/
Ouch, that is a harsh statistic. I am terrified of havind dentures or even a little root canal, I’ve heard to many horror stories from friends. This is why I make sure to see my dentist every six months but, that started with my mom. I think parents might be part of the reason their kids are not getting in to see the dentist.