Dental Sealant Prevalence Among Children with Special Health Care Needs: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013 to 2014.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate dental care access and sealants prevalence among children with special health care needs. The authors utilized the publicly available National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013 to 2014 datasets collected by trained dental examiners for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This study included 2,651 six- to 19-year-olds who provided demographic, dental visit, disability, and sealants information. Weighted prevalence estimates and odds ratios (OR) were calculated for sealant use by disability, gender, age, race, and economic status. Approximately 68 percent of participants had a dental visit in the past six months, with 84 percent of them being routine dental visits; each had approximately two sealed teeth (mean equals 2.37). Children with a physical disability have lower odds of having a sealant (OR equals 0.5; P=0.04) compared to nondisabled children. Six- to 11-year-olds have lower odds of having a sealant versus older age groups. Sealant use prevalence was lowest among African American children (39 percent) versus Hispanic (47 percent) and Caucasian (54 percent; P=0.01) children. The findings indicate disparities in dental sealants use among those with physical disabilities and younger age groups. Further studies and strategies are needed to intervene at an early age and increase utilization of sealants among children with special health care needs. (Pediatr Dent 2019;41(3):186-90) Received September 15, 2018 | Last Revision February 24, 2019 | Accepted March 4, 2019.