Study: Tooth decay greater among low-income Minnesota kids
Third-graders in Minnesota schools serving mostly lower-income families were three times more likely to have untreated tooth decay compared to kids from higher-income schools, state health officials said Thursday.
Nearly 30 percent of third-graders at low-income schools were found with untreated tooth decay. The rate was only about 9 percent at schools serving mostly higher-income families.
"This survey shows we need to do more to eliminate dental-health inequities among our children," Minnesota Health Commissioner Dr. Ed Ehlinger said in a statement releasing the research data. "With dental diseases being nearly 100 percent preventable, we are allowing our children to miss treatment opportunities, such as sealants, that could positively impact their well-being for the rest of their lives."
Nationally, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children ages 6 to 11 years and adolescents ages 12 to 19 years.
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Minnesota researchers compared the dental health of third-graders at schools where 25 percent or fewer of the students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch compared with students at schools where more than 75 percent of the students were eligible. The subsidized lunch program is often used as a proxy measure for the percentage of students living in lower-income homes.
The results highlight the need to target school-based dental health programs at schools with lower-income families and rural communities, the department said.
Besides the gap in untreated tooth decay, the survey found:
• Third-graders at public schools serving mostly higher-income families have better access to cavity-preventing dental sealants, which protect against tooth decay and cavities. "Dental sealants are cost effective. One dental sealant typically costs half the price of a single filling and lasts 5 to 10 years," the department said, noting that sealants can cut decay in school children by more than 70 percent.
• Kids in rural schools were 1.3 times more likely to have tooth decay (56 percent) compared to third graders enrolled in urban schools (44 percent).