Survey exposes gaps in U.S. understanding of good oral health

Sep 10, 2009

While a majority of Americans rate their children's oral health as "excellent," clear gaps exist in their understanding of basic oral health procedures and actual behavior, according to a survey of primary caregivers conducted on behalf of Delta Dental Plans Association.

Only 36% of the respondents completely agree that a child should go to the dentist by age 1 or within six months after the first tooth erupts, even though that's the time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). Two-thirds of those surveyed said their child had seen a dentist, but the average age at the first visit was 2.6 years.

Nearly nine of 10 Americans (87%) agree that it is equally important to get good medical care and dental care. Children covered by dental insurance are much more likely to have visited the dentist than uninsured children (69% versus 54%). Covered children also made their first visit to the dentist at an earlier age, at a mean of 2.5 years, compared to 3 years for uninsured children. And more than 85% of survey respondents who have insurance for their child rate dental coverage as "very important."

Other key findings from the survey:

About three in five Americans (58%) report that their child's overall oral health is excellent.
Among those who rate their child's oral health as less than excellent, 45% say that not enough brushing or poor brushing technique is the biggest obstacle to excellent oral health. Another 20% say the biggest obstacle is a poor diet or too many sweets.
While the AAPD recommends daily flossing, a quarter of the survey respondents say their child never flosses; only 7% report their child flosses daily.
Among children who have never visited a dentist, or who have not visited a dentist in the past year, the most mentioned reason was that the child was too young or did not have enough teeth yet.
About one in five (18%) survey respondents report their child has had a cavity in the past year. Among those children, nearly one in five (17%) experienced four or more cavities.

More than a third of the survey respondents (36%) admit their child brushes his or her teeth less than once a day. They also recognize the frequency as "not enough," despite the fact that nearly all those surveyed (95%) with children 2 to 6 years old say they supervise or assist with brushing. Similarly, nearly half (45%) of caregivers say their children brush their teeth for a minute or less; dentists recommend spending two minutes or more on each brushing.