Comparison of Oral Health Status of Nevada Adolescents to NHANES 1999-2004

Purpose: The mean number of decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth (DMFT) of adolescents has decreased by 8.69 since 1988. Prevalence of dental sealants on permanent teeth among adolescents has significantly increased from 18% in 1988–1994 to 38% in 1999–2004 with reported findings at about 60% in adolescents 12-19 years of age. This study compared caries prevalence and presence of dental sealants in a cohort of Nevada adolescents with matched data from National Health Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004.

Methods: A state-wide surveillance program conducted oral health screenings from 2001-2008. Trained and calibrated licensed dental examiners documented oral health indices of middle/high school students. The 2007-2008 academic year database (N=7410) was used to compare caries prevalence and presence of dental sealants on permanent teeth to national data. Comparisons were stratified by sex, age (12-15 and 16-19), and race/ethnicity (White/non-Hispanic, Black/non-Hispanic, and Mexican American) for similar comparisons with NHANES data. Sealant information was stratified by premolars, 1st molars, and 2nd molars.

Results: By age, sex and race/ethnicity, Nevada youth had higher mean DMFT scores compared to a matched NHANES data. Mean number of dental sealants applied to permanent teeth was consistently lower than the national data.

Conclusions: Data from NHANES 1988–1994 and 1999–2004 suggest that caries experience in permanent teeth continues to decline and application of dental sealants continues to increase for adolescents aged 12–19 years. Although the oral health status of Nevada youth has improved, future gains are necessary to achieve national parity.