Status: Target met or exceeded
Most Recent Data:
45.5
percent
(2022) *
Target:
45.0
percent *
Desired Direction:
Increase desired
Baseline:
43.2 percent of children, adolescents, and adults used the oral health care system in 2016 *
* Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.
Oral health is important to overall health and plays a critical role in people’s physical, mental, social, and economic well-being. Access to preventive health care, like cleanings and dental checkups, and early treatment for dental problems is essential to good oral health. Cost and lack of dental insurance are barriers to accessing oral health care. Laws and policies that lower financial barriers to care may increase use of the oral health care system.
In 2018, 46.2 percent of children, adolescents, and adults used the oral health care system. *
Data Source: Medical Expenditure Panel (MEPS), AHRQ
Disparities in rates of use of the oral health care system by educational attainment: Highest/lowest rate * ‡
Disparities in rates of use of the oral health care system by educational attainment: All groups * ‡
In 2018, adults aged 25 years and over with a 4-year college degree or more had the highest group rate of use of the oral health care system (57.7 percent).
- The highest group rate was 31.8 percent higher than the rate of use among adults with some college education or an associate degree (43.8 percent).
- The highest group rate was 59.7 percent higher than the rate of use among adults with a high school education (36.2 percent).
- The highest group rate was more than 3 times the rate of use among adults with less than a high school education (18.4 percent).
