According to a recent report released by the Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Americans have less tooth decay and less tooth damage than merely a decade ago.
The findings were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which estimated the quantity of tooth decay (cavities), preventive methods, and tooth loss from a cross sectional national survey. Though the overall trends are positive some demographic sectors remain at high risk.
“This survey belongs to the dental health of 256 million Americans,” said Dr. Bruce Pihlstrom, DDS, acting director of the division of clinical research and health promotion at NIH’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. “While the findings are encouraging, the report clearly shows us that more energy is required to enhance the oral health of low income Americans.”
Although the portion of kids who have never had cavities in everlasting tooth decreased by 15 percent since 1994 — thirty two percent of Mexican American and twenty seven % of African American children ages 2 to 11 had untreated decay compared to 18 percent for Caucasian children.
For lower income adults, over 30 % had untreated tooth decay compared with 16 % for increased income adults.
Generally there was much more prodentim bad reviews news for smokers with fourteen % of existing smokers older than 20 years having lost all of their tooth when compared with 4.6 percent among nonsmokers.
One reason behind the improvements cited is tooth sealants. These groove sealing resins maintain the decay causing bacteria from penetrating the predisposed fissures in the tooth. Again, income levels made a difference. 37.9 % of white children had a minimum of one sealant while 23.4 Mexican American kids and 22.6 of African American kids had a minimum of one sealant.
The survey shows that much progress has become made in a rather short period of time because of sealants, fluoride treatments, patient training, the higher number of school programs on oral health, and the perseverance and dedication of dental professionals. Additionally apparent, is the need to continue to reach even more of the population with education and prevention.