Table 1. Crude Prevalence of Dental Care Use, Absolute Disparity, and Change in Disparity Among US Children and Adolescents Aged 2–17 Years, by Race/Ethnicity, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2001 and 2016a .
| Variable | Prevalence of Use, 2001, % (95% CI) | Prevalence of Use, 2016, % (95% CI) | Absolute Disparity in 2001b, Percentage Point (95% CI) | P Value | Absolute Disparity in 2016b, Percentage Point (95% CI) | P Value | Change in Disparity from 2001 to 2016c, Percentage Point (95% CI) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample size, n | 8,242 | 8,520 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| All | 47.8 (46.0−49.6) | 54.8 (52.8−56.8) | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 56.8 (54.4−59.2) | 59.8 (56.8−62.8) | Reference | Reference | Reference | |||
| Non-Hispanic black | 31.4 (28.0−34.9) | 44.1 (40.4−47.9) | 25.4 (20.9−29.9) | <.001 | 15.7 (10.5−20.9) | <.001 | −9.7 | .006 |
| Hispanic | 33.3 (30.3−36.4) | 50.7 (47.7−53.8) | 23.6 (19.9−27.2) | <.001 | 9.1 (4.0−14.1) | <.001 | −14.4 | <.001 |
| Asian | 38.1 (30.8−45.9) | 55.2 (48.8−61.3) | 18.8 (11.8−25.6) | <.001 | 4.7 (3.1−12.4) | .238 | −14.1 | .008 |
Abbreviations: —, not applicable.
a
Healthy People 2020 target for prevalence in dental care use is 49%.
b
Absolute disparity is percentage-point difference in prevalence of use between non-Hispanic white and other groups: 56.8%−31.4% = 25.4 (non-Hispanic black in 2001).
c
Change in disparity is percentage-point difference in absolute disparity at most recent data point subtracted from absolute disparity at baseline data point: for example, 15.7−25.4 = −9.7 (for non-Hispanic black children and adolescents in 2001–2006).