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Prevalence of untreated tooth decay in permanent teetha among dentate adults aged 20–64 years, by selected characteristics, United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2017–March 2020.
2024 Oral Health Surveillance Report—Table 11
| Characteristic | 2017–March 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| %b | SE | |
| Total | 20.5 | 1.62 |
| Age (years) | ||
| 20–34 (reference) | 21.8 | 2.42 |
| 35–49 | 21.4 | 1.85 |
| 50–64 | 17.3* | 1.64 |
| Sex | ||
| Male (reference) | 22.8 | 2.05 |
| Female | 18.3* | 1.56 |
| Race and ethnicity | ||
| White, non-Hispanic (reference) | 18.3 | 2.28 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 30.3* | 1.97 |
| Mexican American | 20.7 | 2.36 |
| Poverty statusc | ||
| High poverty | 39.6* | 2.29 |
| Middle poverty | 30.9* | 1.99 |
| Low poverty (reference) | 13.2 | 1.54 |
| Poverty statusc | ||
| High and middle poverty combined | 34.3* | 1.86 |
| Low poverty (reference) | 13.2 | 1.54 |
| Education | ||
| <High school | 39.1* | 2.86 |
| High school | 30.2* | 2.51 |
| >High school (reference) | 13.6 | 1.19 |
| Cigarette smoking history | ||
| Current | 41.4* | 2.57 |
| Former | 18.9 | 2.25 |
| Never (reference) | 14.8 | 1.33 |
Note: All estimates are adjusted by age (5-year groups) to the U.S. 2000 standard population. Estimates are based on all U.S. race and ethnicity groups, except the estimates for specific race and ethnicity categories. SE = standard error. Reference groups were used to test for statistical differences within sociodemographic characteristics.
* P <0.05 based on t-test for differences against the reference group.
a Defined as having one or more untreated decayed permanent teeth among adults with at least one permanent tooth.
b Weighted prevalence estimates.
c Defined as the percentage of family income relative to the federal poverty level (FPL). High poverty = <100% FPL; middle poverty = 100%–199% FPL; high or middle poverty combined = <200% FPL; and low poverty = ≥200% FPL.