Prevalence
Dental caries is a public health crisis!
Many cases of dental caries are undiagnosed, often because parents or caregivers do not seek dental care at an early age for their children.
Clinicians can play a major role in preventing caries and initiating early treatment.
Consider the following caries statistics:
- 23.3% of primary teeth (Ages 2-5)
- 52% of children ages 6 to 8 years in the primary teeth
- 17.4% of children ages 6 to 11 in the permanent teeth
- 56.8% of adolescents (Ages 12-19)
Dental care access is influenced by ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Joanna Douglass, BDS, DDS
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oral Health Surveillance Report: Dental Caries, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 2017–March 2020. U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services; 2024. Accessed August 6, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/php/2024-oral-health-surveillance-report/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oral Health Surveillance Report: Trends in Dental Caries and Sealants, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 1999–2004 to 2011–2016. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2019. Accessed August 6, 2026.
Fleming E, Afful J. Prevalence of total and untreated dental caries among youth: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS Data Brief, no 307. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2018.