Alaska children’s tooth health improved over a decade in nearly all parts of the state, showing that multiple dental initiatives and strategies may be paying off, a new state report said.
Among children 3 and younger, tooth decay prevalence is down, as is consumption of sugary beverages, while visits to dental offices for checkups are up, according to the report cited in a bulletin released by the Alaska Division of Public Health’s epidemiology section last week.
The report compared data from two three-year periods, 2009-2011 and 2016-2019. In that time, “there was a considerable decrease in the percentage of parents reporting that a healthcare provider had told them their child had tooth decay or cavities.” The drop was 16% between those periods.
At the same time, more young children were getting dental care; the data showed that 40% fewer children went without a first dental visit by age 3. And consumption of more than three cups of sugary beverages a day dropped by 41% between the two periods, according to the report.
The data is based on the information provided by parents through the Alaska Childhood Understanding Behaviors Survey, known as CUBS.