North Carolina has made significant progress in addressing the oral health of its children but still has a long way to go, according to a report by Action for Children North Carolina.
The agency found that the portion of the state's kindergartners with untreated tooth decay decreased from 23% in the year 2000 to 17% in 2008. The portion of fifth-graders with one or more sealants rose from 37% to 44%.
Of Medicaid-eligible children aged 1 to 5, 44.6% got dental care in 2008, up from only 16% in 2000. For those aged 6 to 14, the increase was from 31% to 52%, and for those aged 15 to 20 the increase was from 18% to 36%.
These improvements took place despite a drop in employer-based health insurance coverage, and no improvement in childhood poverty rates, Action for Children said.
It credited government programs for holding constant the percentage of the state's children who have insurance.
Despite these improvements, the group gave the oral health of the state's children a grade of "C." "Access to dental care, though showing much improvement, is a problem that warrants serious attention," it said.
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