Oral health disparities as determined by selected healthy people 2020 oral health objectives for the United States, 2009-2010

Abstract

The Healthy People 2020 initiative contains over 1,200 objectives that serve as a roadmap for tracking the nation's health (1). Oral health is 1 of 42 Healthy People topic areas comprising 33 objectives ranging from dental caries and periodontal disease, to access to preventive dental services and program infrastructure. One important activity of Healthy People is to monitor health disparities. Influential sociodemographic indicators for oral health disparities in the United States include poverty status and race and ethnicity (2). This report focuses on key Healthy People objectives covering select age groups by race and ethnicity and poverty status from 2009 to 2010.