Dental News - US children miss out on the dentist

Lisa Townshend, DT UK

Tue. 6 October 2009

save

LONDON, UK: Most American children do not see their family dentist until they are well over 2 years old, far later than is recommended by both dental and medical professionals. That’s one of the key findings from a survey of American children’s oral health, conducted on behalf of Delta Dental Plans Association, an American provider of dental benefits.

The survey of primary caregivers revealed that, for those children who had seen a dentist - and 34 percent had not - the average age at the initial visit was 2.6 years. The American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that a child go to the dentist by age one or within six months after the first tooth erupts.

Among children who have never visited the dentist or who have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months, the most mentioned reason (62 per cent) was that “the child is too young” or “doesn’t have enough teeth yet.” Lack of insurance coverage was cited by 12 per cent of the caregivers.

According to the survey, 35 per cent of caregivers clean their baby’s gums just a few times a week, or less.

“Many Americans don’t understand how important their children’s baby teeth are to lifelong oral health,” said Jed J. Jacobson, DDS, MS, MPH, chief science officer and senior VP at Delta Dental. “There’s a continuing need for more education to teach practices that will ensure lifelong oral health."

"And, since people overwhelmingly prefer the dentist and dental hygienist as their primary oral health information sources, dental benefits that encourage visits to the dentist are crucial.” he added.

To post a reply please login or register

Survey shows 75 percent of parents miss bringing children to dentist by age one

POMONA, Calif., USA: A new survey from the Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine indicates that 75 percent of parents are not ...

One-third of Americans have cut back on visits to the dentist

NEW YORK, NY, USA: A recent public opinion survey commissioned by Oral Health America found that in the past year, more than one-third (35 percent) of those...

Breath analysis technology may put dentists on the forefront of diagnosing illnesses

NEW YORK, NY, USA: Dentists may soon be on the forefront of diagnosing a range of illnesses, thanks to a new laser technology that may enable them to ...

Dental students reach out to children at elementary schools

LOUISVILLE, Ky., USA: Just before Halloween, a time when the focus is on candy and other sweet treats, dental students from University of Louisville spoke ...

ADA, AGD speak out against new non-dentist provider models

NEW YORTK, NY, USA: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently released survey results claiming that the majority of Americans support new non-dentist mid-level ...

Digital radiography: Step out of the dark

Are you in love with your dark room? Does the team fight over who ‘gets to clean’ the processor? Will it break their hearts when they learn that...

Marketing expert shows dentists how to put their message on the big screen

It all started when Chip Rich, the creative director at a New York advertising agency, was asked by his brother-in-law to create an ad campaign for his ...

“The concept of the root canal blockage course was born out of the desire to teach and practise different techniques”

To make the wait for ROOTS SUMMIT 2024 a little sweeter, the organisers would like to spotlight some of the speakers for next year’s edition, which will ...

One in five US children lacks access to dental care

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, USA: A recent report from the Pew Center on the States paints a sad picture about the oral health of many children in the United ...

Rhein83USA presents the Ot Equator and the SmartBox

Rhein83USA, an innovative company that is known as a leader in the production of attachments for removable prosthesis, presents the Ot Equator and the ...

Education

Live webinar
Fri. 26 April 2024
12:00 PM EST (New York)