This report is part of the California Health Care Foundation’s focus on oral health, examines data available from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey and presents a more detailed look at racial/ethnic differences and other factors that contribute to disparities in dental care for California’s children, aged 0 to 11, including infants with at least one tooth.

Among the findings:

• 24 percent of all children in California have never visited the dentist.
• Significant racial/ethnic differences in dental visit rates exist, even among Latino and Asian subgroups.
• Dental insurance significantly increases the rates of dental visits and reduces racial/ethnic disparities
  in dental visits.

This snapshot concludes with suggestions for additional research and public health initiatives that could help underserved children get the dental care they need.