Less than a third of black and hispanic children visit a dentist during the year

Less than a third of black and Hispanic children had a dental visit at any time during 1996 (27.2 percent of blacks and 29.2 percent of Hispanics). Overall, less than half (42.5 percent) of all children visited a dentist in 1996. A higher percentage of white children � but still less than half (49.2 percent) � had a dental visit.

This information was published in "Annual Report on Access to and Utilization of Health Care for Children and Youth in the United States - 2000" in the January-February issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics. The articles show data derived from the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The article is available from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse, phone 1-800-358-9295; e-mail: [email protected].

For a reproducible graphic of Percent of Children Under 18 With a Dental Visit by Race/Ethnicity, go to: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2001/chdental96.pdf/