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Dental Health Among Low-Income Children
- • Children ages 6-11 from low-income families are three times more likely to have untreated tooth decay compared with children in higher income families.
- • Compared to children in higher income families, children in low-income families are also five times more likely to have cavities, have three times the number of decayed teeth and are only half as likely to see a dentist over the course of a year.
- • According to Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, poor dental health in young children has the potential to affect speech, nutrition, social development and quality of life.
- • Oral diseases in young children have been linked to ear and sinus infections and weakened immune systems, as well as diabetes, and heart and lung disease.
- • Studies have found that children with oral diseases are restricted in their daily activities and miss more then 51 million hours of school each year.
Access to Care
- • More than 20 million children in the United States lack health insurance for dental services.
- • Nationwide, only 25% of low-income children receive adequate dental care.
- • In some states, fewer than 25% of dentists are willing to treat children from low-income families receiving Medicaid.
