The Impact of National Origin on Caries Risk

By Deborah A. Finnegan, RDH, MS, Lori Rainchuso, RDH, MS, DHSc

The dental caries rate among school-age children living in industrialized countries ranges from 60% to 90%.¹ Dental caries continues to be the most common chronic childhood illness in the United States.² 

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry defines early childhood caries (ECC) as the presence of dental caries in children age 71 months or younger.³ Nursing bottle decay and baby bottle decay are common terms for ECC.³ Over the past 20 years, research has shown a decline in the incidence and prevalence of ECC in developed countries, such as the US; however, caries remains highly prevalent in minority populations.^4,5

* References can be found in the original article via the link below.
Read Article