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Clemencia M. Vargas, DDS, PhD and Cynthia R. Ronzio, PhD

Clemencia M. Vargas is with the University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore, and the National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, Md. At the time of the study, Cynthia R. Ronzio was an Association of Schools of Public Health Fellow with the National Center for Health Statistics.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Clemencia M. Vargas, DDS, PhD, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Maryland Dental School, 666 W Baltimore St, Room 3-E-11, Baltimore, MD 21201–1586 (e-mail: cmv001{at}dental.umaryland.edu).

Objectives. This study describes the relationship between dental needs and dental care utilization among children.

Methods. Data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) were used to analyze dental care needs and dental care utilization.

Results. Younger children with perceived needs (needs perceived by the child or responsible adult) were more likely to be episodic users of dental care than children without perceived needs. Younger children with normative needs (defined by the presence of untreated caries diagnosed by a dentist) were less likely to be regular users. Older children with perceived or normative needs were more likely to be episodic users and less likely to have had a previous-year visit than children with no needs.

Conclusions. Despite their presence, dental needs do not drive dental care use among children, and children’s dental care utilization is inadequate.

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