One in four children in California has never had any dental care, a report has revealed.
The Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Dental Care for Publicly Insured Children study, carried out by the California HealthCare Foundation, also found that white and Asian children were more likely to visit the dentist than Latino or African American youngsters.
Authors Nadereh Pourat and Len Finocchio said: “Poor oral health has important implications for the healthy development of children.”
The article, published in the July issue of Health Affairs, noted that even children with dental insurance do not have regular check-ups, as only 54 per cent of those who were privately covered had seen the dentist in the last six months.
MedlinePlus, part of the US National Library of Medicine, warns that people who do not go to the dentist regularly could have problems such as tooth decay going undiscovered and may need emergency dentistry to deal with the potential complications.
In 2006, the California Dental Association sponsored legislation that requires all children to have a dental assessment in kindergarten or first grade, although parents can opt out if they are unable to get a check-up for their child.