NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Tooth decay is common in children and often untreated, according to a new report from the US Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A CDC-sponsored screening of third graders attending 26 New Hampshire public schools found that 52% had tooth decay, or dental caries, and nearly 22% had untreated caries.

The CDC conducted the survey to "establish a baseline for monitoring oral health trends in New Hampshire." The results are published in the March 29th issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The survey included 410 children screened between February and April 2001. Overall, nearly 70% of children, all between the ages of 8 and 9 years, had no obvious dental problems, 25% required early care and 5% required urgent care. About 46% had sealants on at least one permanent molar.

Sealants are applied to permanent teeth in order to prevent decay.

In the report, Dr. Alcia Williams of the CDC Epidemiology Office in Concord, New Hampshire and colleagues write, "Despite improvements in oral health in the United States, by late adolescence approximately 80% of children have a history of caries."

The New Hampshire screening results mirror those found in Maine in 1999, showing a similar percentage of children with a history of dental caries, untreated dental caries and sealants on permanent molars.

CDC officials point out that the national health objectives for 2010 aim for decreasing the level of untreated decay in children aged 6 to 8 years to 21%, and a history of caries in this age group of 42%. The objectives also aim to increase the number children with sealants on permanent teeth to 50% of 8-year-olds.

"This is a survey that could be used in just about any state," Williams told Reuters Health in an interview. "It was done over a small number of days with a limited budget and we were still able to assess the oral health of our children."

"Oral health is an area that people are not very aware of," she added. "We know that we need to improve oral health of children, to implement water fluoridation and to improve the use of sealants."

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2002;51:258-260.

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