LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Informal reports from Kentucky dentists have indicated an increase in tooth decay among Kentucky children since the COVID-19 pandemic. Through a recent state-funded survey, the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry found data to support these claims.

“We really wanted a very broad look at what’s happening to all the kids in Kentucky,” said Dr. Pam Stein, professor of Oral Health Sciences in UK’s Division of Public Health Dentistry.

For the first time since 2001, the College of Dentistry partnered with the Kentucky Department of Public Health on the 2023 Kentucky Early Learners Oral Health Surveillance Project. The state-funded survey involved 6,600 children ages 2 to 5 from 106 counties.

“It needed to be done,” Dr. Stein said, “and we’re going to be able to do a lot of good because now we know what’s going on and we can design interventions and partnerships to address this issue strategically now because we have the data.”

The survey found that the rate of tooth decay for all Kentucky children ages two to five is 35 percent. This compares to a national average of 23%.

“That meant they either had a cavity that was filled or they had ongoing decay that needed to be treated,” Dr. Stein said.

The study divided Kentucky into eight regions, showing the highest degradation rates in eastern and south-central Kentucky.

Jennifer Harrison MPH, RDH. Project Director, Kentucky Early Childhood Oral Health Surveillance Project in partnership with UKCD and KDPH

“When over half of these very young children have experience of impairment, these are areas where we actually plan focus groups with parents,” Dr. Stein said. “We should have preventive visits every six months for our children, but for some reason, they don’t have access to care. And this is a complicated issue.”

Along with these planned focus groups, data from this survey provided dental and healthcare leaders in Kentucky with a foundation to begin building better dental health habits.

“Number one, they need to take their child to the dentist by age one,” Dr. Stein said. “When the first tooth comes in or the last one, when I’m one.”

After the first check-up, children should see the dentist every six months. Diet and home dental care are the other two steps to getting ahead of tooth decay.

“Children can have very serious consequences if a dental infection is not addressed,” said Dr. Stein. “It can cause fever; can cause respiratory problems.”

Using data from the survey, along with other outreach programs through the College of Dentistry of Great Britain, Dr. Stein is convinced that Kentucky can take a bite out of high tooth decay rates.

“Tooth decay is completely preventable and it’s not hard to prevent it and it’s not expensive to prevent it. This really lights a fire in me and others,” said Dr. Stein. “I am full of hope. I hope we can improve this situation for our youngest Kentuckians.”

You can find more about the 2023 Kentucky Early Childhood Oral Health Surveillance Project Here.