NCHS Data Briefs

NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 307: Prevalence of Total and Untreated Dental Caries Among Youth: United States, 2015–2016.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Dental caries is the most common chronic disease among youth aged 6–19 years (1). Untreated caries can cause pain and infections (2,3). Monitoring prevalence of untreated and total caries (untreated and treated) is key to preventing and controlling oral diseases. This report presents the prevalence of total and untreated caries in primary or permanent teeth among youth aged 2–19 years for 2015–2016, and trends from 2011–2012 through 2015–2016.