Dental Decay Rates Increase Among Maine Students
November 7, 2024
An intraoral camera being used to examine a child's teeth.
The Maine Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC) School Oral Health Program (SOHP) went through a significant shift during the 2023-24 school year by partnering with additional oral health care providers throughout the state to expand into more schools. Each participating provider met with MCD team members to better monitor community oral health and indicator guidelines.
The program visited 229 schools during the 2023-24 school year, and more than 13,200 students received oral health screening. Of those students screened, 30% had untreated decay, nearly 27% needed early intervention, and 6.5% needed immediate intervention.
Because of the program’s expansion, oral health care providers who serve local schools are now able to collect data and better assess the status of children’s oral health in Maine. This allows for better access to care and early preventive measures and guides future SOHP initiatives.
The above graph shows the percentage of students seen through the Maine CDC SOHP
who were observed to have a form of untreated tooth decay.
There is an ongoing, worldwide crisis involving dental care access. In Maine, about half of all children are not receiving preventive dental care, and even fewer can access care in a traditional dental home. This leaves families without the preventive and early intervention care they need to maintain their oral health.
Not only does dental disease contribute to severe health issues, but the ripple effects strain the health system and are felt throughout the community, including lost hours in school, work, and productivity.
The SOHP is responding to the increasing dental decay rates and dental care access crisis by supporting oral health services in schools, forming partnerships, and sharing educational resources with oral health providers and school nurses.
About the Maine CDC School Oral Health Program
The SOHP started as a fluoride-rinse program in the 1970s and focuses on providing preventive dental services to Maine’s school children. MCD provides embedded staffing support to the SOHP and other Maine CDC public health programs and initiatives. MCD’s team of field consultants and partner organizations perform oral health screenings and fluoride varnish treatments to students in public schools.