Oral Health - Annual Dental Visits Among Adults
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
Oral health is essential to overall health. Good oral health improves a person's ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow, and make facial expressions to show feelings and emotions. (1, 2) The significant improvement in the oral health of Americans over the past 50 years is a public health success story. Most of the gains are a result of effective prevention and treatment efforts. One major success is community water fluoridation, which now benefits about 7 out of 10 Americans who get water through public water systems.
Definition
Percentage of adults who last visited a dentist or a dental clinic in the last 12 months. Visits may have been for any reason, including visits to dental specialists, such as orthodontists. Survey Question: How long has it been since you last visited a dentist or a dental clinic for any reason? Include visits to dental specialists, such as orthodontists.
Data Sources
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with New Mexico Department of Health, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/ibeb/brfss/) - U.S. data source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence and Trends Data.
(https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence)
How the Measure is Calculated
Numerator: | Number of adults with a dental visit in the last 12 months. |
Denominator: | Total Number of adults in the BRFSS survey sample who answered this question. |
Other Objectives
New Mexico Community Health Status Indicator (CHSI)
More Resources
References ---- 1) US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General. Oral health in America: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; 2000, p. 33-59. (As cited on http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=32#one, accessed 4/10/2012.) 2) US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General. Oral health in America: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; 2000, p. 155-88. (As cited on http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=32#one, accessed 4/10/2012.) 3) US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Oral health: Preventing cavities, gum disease, tooth loss, and oral cancers: At a glance 2010 [Internet]. Atlanta: CDC; c2010 [cited 2010 March 8]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/doh.htm#aag. (As cited on http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=32#one, accessed 4/10/2012.)