Trends in the prevalence of dental caries in the US pediatric population 2011–2020

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to provide statistics on the trends and changes in the distribution of dental caries in the United States (US) pediatric population for the 10-year period 2011 through 2020. Study design: Using data from the 2011 to 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, estimates were derived for the prevalence of decayed and filled teeth in the US population aged between 2 to 11 years. Analyses were stratified by primary and permanent dentition, and prevalence was assessed amongst the various sociodemographic and body mass index (BMI) subgroups. Results: Over the 10-year period, the following changes were observed: the prevalence of decayed primary teeth has decreased from 14.1% to 12.2%, the prevalence of filled primary teeth has decreased from 29.8% to 26.1%, the prevalence of decayed permanent teeth has decreased from 5.2% to 2.7%, and the prevalence of filled permanent teeth has decreased from 16.1% to 12.3%. Despite these decreases in prevalence, there remains substantial inequality in how the disease is distributed, with those from ethnic minorities, poorer households, and with a non-normal BMI carrying the majority of disease burden. Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries has decreased over the past 10 years, but there is still inequality in disease distribution.