TrendsinOralHealthStatus: United States,1988–1994 and 1999–2004

For most Americans, oral health status has improved between 1988–1994 and 1999–2004. For seniors, edentulism and periodontitis has declined; for adults, improvements were seen in dental caries prevalence, tooth retention, and periodontal health; for adolescents and youths, dental sealant prevalence has increased and dental caries have decreased; however, for youths aged 2–5 years, dental caries in primary teeth has increased.

This report presents national estimates and trends for a variety of oral health status measures for persons aged 2 years and older by sociodemographic and smoking status since the late 1980s in the United States.