One in three young children do not get regular dental care

Los Angeles, CA - Two new fact sheets show that nearly one-third of young children 11 years of age or younger have never visited a dental provider or have not visited a dental provider in more than one year.

Researcher Nadereh Pourat examined rates of visits by California Assembly and Senate districts.

Research findings include:

• 29% of young California children do not get regular dental care.
• The great majority of these children have never visited a dental provider.
• Some Assembly and Senate districts have significantly lower rates of regular dental visits than the state average.

Specifically, the research found Assembly Districts 30, 31 and 34 in the central and southeastern mostly rural regions of the state had the highest rates of children without dental visits: 33-34%.

Senate Districts 16 and 18 in the central and eastern mostly rural regions of the state also had high rates of children who went without dental visits: 31-33%.

These documents illustrate geographic disparities in regular dental care of young children in California and highlight the missed opportunities for provision of early preventative care. Children without regular dental care have a higher risk of poor oral health, including higher rates of cavities.

The fact sheets were funded by a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation. Findings are based on data collected in the 2005 California Health Interview Survey.

The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research was established in 1994 and is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers. It is also the premier source of key health policy information for California. Directed by E. Richard Brown, the center is based in the UCLA School of Public Health and is also affiliated with the UCLA School of Public Affairs.