Association Between First Oral Examination Characteristics and Dental Treatment Needs in Privately Insured Children

Published 09/14/2021
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An article published in The Journal of the American Dental Association concluded that the high proportion of children requiring restorative treatment and late age at first dental screening indicate there’s a need to invest in educating general dentists, medical students, and pediatricians about oral health guidelines for pediatric patients.

The authors of this study, which included de-identified claims data from 706,636 privately insured children aged 0 – 6, sought to determine how provider type and age at first dental examination are associated with caries experience among children in the United States. A total of 21% of the population required restorative treatment and the average age at first dental examination was 3.6 years. 

Early childhood caries remains the most common, preventable infectious disease among children in the United States.

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