Dental Service Use and Dental Insurance Coverage--United States, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1995

In the United States, 94% of adults have evidence of past or current tooth decay, and only one third of adults aged 35-44 years have all of their permanent teeth. Dental insurance is associated with increased use of dental services and improved oral health status. This report summarizes state-specific and aggregated state data on both private and public sources of dental insurance coverage and the use of dental services among adults in 25 states who participated in the oral health module of the 1995 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The findings indicate that nearly half (44.3%) of adults in this survey reported having no dental insurance coverage.