Child Indicators

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Oral Health Data includes the following indicators of children’s oral health from the National Oral Health Surveillance System (NOHSS):

  • Caries Experience. Percentage of children with caries experience, including treated and untreated tooth decay.
  • Untreated Tooth Decay. Percentage of children with untreated tooth decay.
  • Dental Sealants. Percentage of children with dental sealants on at least one permanent molar tooth.

Indicators

For more information about the indicators, see National Oral Health Surveillance System.

Data sources and methods

Basic Screening Survey

States and other jurisdictions periodically conduct Basic Screening Surveys of a representative sample of students in the state or jurisdiction. These cross-sectional surveys are designed to collect information on the observed oral health of participants. For more information on the Basic Screening Survey protocol, see https://www.astdd.org/basic-screening-survey-tool/.

Indian Health Service Oral Health Survey

The Indian Health Service (IHS) conducts routine, ongoing oral health surveillance of the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. Data from the IHS Oral Health Survey of AI/AN children uses the Basic Screening Survey protocol. Data from these surveys are available on Oral Health Data. The survey is designed to obtain national, rather than IHS area estimates; therefore, IHS area-specific data are not presented. IHS child estimates are comparable to estimates from states and other jurisdictions.

For more information on the Indian Health Service oral health initiatives and surveillance plans, see IHS Dental Portal.

Data sources and methods

Indian Health Service Oral Health Survey

The Indian Health Service (IHS) conducts routine ongoing oral health surveillance of the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. The IHS Oral Health Survey of AI/AN children is the data source for child indicators shown in Oral Health Data. Data are collected from elementary school students in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. The first survey for elementary school students was completed during the 2011-2012 school year, and the second was completed during the 2016-2017 school year. Future surveys are planned, and data will be displayed as they become available.
A systematic probability proportional to size sampling scheme is used to select a national-level sample. The sampling frame represents approximately 35% of all AI/AN children in Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) public and private schools. Race is recorded as “AI/AN” or “Other.” Only children classified as AI/AN are included in the analyses. The survey is designed to obtain national, rather than IHS area estimates; therefore, IHS area-specific data are not presented.
The IHS Oral Health Survey of AI/AN children uses the Basic Screening Survey (BSS) protocol also used in State Oral Health Surveys. Use of this protocol provides standardized data that can be reported as estimates for the NOHSS child indicators. IHS child estimates are comparable to state estimates. For more information about survey methodology, see the IHS Dental Portal and https://www.astdd.org/basic-screening-survey-tool/.