Table 1.
Prevalence and severity of untreated caries among US adults aged 20 through 64 years, by select characteristics.*
| CHARACTERISTIC | PREVALENCE | CARIOUS TEETH AMONG ADULTS WITH UNTREATED CARIES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample Size, No. | 1–3 Teeth With Untreated Caries,† % (SE‡) | ≥ 4 Teeth With Untreated Caries,§ % (SE) | P Value¶ | Sample Size, No. | Affected Teeth, Mean No. (SE) | |
| Total | 10,286 | 17.8 (0.8) | 7.2 (0.4) | —# | 3,091 | 3.13 (0.08) |
| Age, y | < .001 | |||||
| 20–34 | 3,593 | 18.7 (1.0) | 9.4 (0.6) | 1,153 | 3.44 (0.13) | |
| 35–49 | 3,432 | 18.4 (1.2) | 7.4 (0.6) | 1,037 | 3.20 (0.14) | |
| 50–64 | 3,261 | 16.2 (1.1) | 4.6 (0.5) | 901 | 2.58 (0.11) | |
| Sex | .003 | |||||
| Male | 4,945 | 18.9 (1.0) | 8.1 (0.5) | 1,579 | 3.38 (0.12) | |
| Female | 5,341 | 16.7 (1.0) | 6.4 (0.4) | 1,512 | 2.86 (0.10) | |
| Race or Ethnicity** | < .001 | |||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 3,731 | 14.8 (0.9) | 6.4 (0.4) | 1,030 | 3.33 (0.11) | |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 2,381 | 28.6 (1.5) | 11.5 (1.1) | 960 | 2.95 (0.10) | |
| Asian, non-Hispanic | 1,330 | 12.0 (1.1) | 2.8 (0.7) | 197 | 2.49 (0.20) | |
| Hispanic | 2,478 | 23.5 (1.3) | 8.7 (0.7) | 784 | 2.87 (0.15) | |
| Education Level | < .001 | |||||
| < High school | 1,833 | 29.8 (1.1) | 16.4 (1.2) | 823 | 3.48 (0.16) | |
| High school or equivalent | 2,207 | 24.3 (1.3) | 11.2 (0.9) | 853 | 3.35 (0.13) | |
| > High school | 6,246 | 13.6 (0.8) | 4.3 (0.3) | 1,415 | 2.84 (0.09) | |
| Income | < .001 | |||||
| < 200% federal poverty guidelines | 4,868 | 26.2 (1.0) | 13.2 (0.8) | 2,023 | 3.44 (0.12) | |
| ≥ 200% federal poverty guidelines | 5,418 | 13.2 (0.8) | 3.9 (0.4) | 1,068 | 2.75 (0.11) | |
| Health Insurance Coverage | < .001 | |||||
| Private coverage | 5,538 | 13.3 (0.8) | 4.5 (0.4) | 1,178 | 2.90 (0.09) | |
| Public or other coverage | 2,230 | 20.5 (1.6) | 9.2 (0.8) | 797 | 3.23 (0.13) | |
| No coverage of any type | 2,518 | 29.4 (1.4) | 13.9 (1.0) | 1,116 | 3.37 (0.17) | |
| General Health (Self-Report) | < .001 | |||||
| Excellent, very good, good | 8,204 | 16.5 (0.8) | 6.2 (0.4) | 2,260 | 3.07 (0.08) | |
| Fair, poor | 2,082 | 24.7 (1.4) | 12.7 (0.9) | 831 | 3.33 (0.12) | |
| Smoking Status | < .001 | |||||
| Current smoker | 2,231 | 26.8 (1.3) | 16.1 (1.2) | 1,043 | 3.78 (0.16) | |
| Former smoker | 1,905 | 17.8 (1.3) | 5.4 (0.6) | 531 | 268 (0.12) | |
| Never | 6,150 | 14.7 (0.9) | 4.7 (0.4) | 1,517 | 2.83 (0.10) | |
| Report Unmet Need | < .001 | |||||
| Yes | 2,548 | 32.4 (1.3) | 18.7 (1.1) | 1,338 | 3.70 (0.14) | |
| No | 7,738 | 14.1 (0.8) | 4.3 (0.3) | 1,753 | 2.74 (0.07) | |
| Untreated Caries Severity | – | |||||
| 0 teeth with untreated caries | 7,195 | – | – | – | – | |
| 1–3 teeth | 2,175 | – | – | 2,175 | 1.66 (0.02) | |
| ≥ 4 teeth | 916 | – | – | 916 | 6.76 (0.14) | |
*
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.12
†
Mild to moderate untreated caries.
‡
SE: Standard error.
§
Severe untreated caries.
¶
Significant at P < .05 by χ2 test.
#
–: Not applicable.
**
366 respondents in the “other (including multiracial)” Race/Ethnicity category were excluded from the study.