Louisiana, Mississippi children have worse oral health than U.S. peers

The prevalence of oral health issues may be higher among children residing in Louisiana and Mississippi compared with children in the rest of the United States, according to a report from KTLA.

Investigators from a Louisiana-based orthodontic group used the 2021 and 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health to assess the oral health of children aged 1 to 17 years who had been treated for tooth pain, bleeding gums and cavities.

Compared with the other states, Louisiana and Mississippi had higher rates of children with oral health issues and untreated tooth decay. The investigators suggested that inadequate public health policies, a lack of access to care and socioeconomic factors like poverty may all contribute to poorer dental health outcomes in children from Louisiana and Mississippi.

They concluded that targeted initiatives focused on strengthening access to health care may improve oral hygiene among these patient populations.

Read more: KTLA

The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.