THE PREVALENCE OF DENTAL SEALANTS IN NORTH-CAROLINA SCHOOLCHILDREN

Objectives: This study reports the prevalence of den tal sealants deri ved from a survey of schoolchildren in North Carolina, and its variati on according to several sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: A s ingle-stage, stratified probability sample of grade K-12 classrooms in the state yielded a sample of 8,026 students. Clinical examinations w ere performed on 83 percent of the sample. Estimates for sealant preva lence and their variation according to seven sociodemographic variable s were determined. Results: About 117,000 children in the state, or 12 percent of those 6-17 years of age, have sealants. The prevalence of sealants varied according to geographic region of residence and the so cioeconomic status of whites. Prevalence was affected little by age, s ex, degree of urbanism, or socioeconomic status of those with races ot her than white. Conclusions: While underutilized, there are indication s in these data that sealant use is increasing, thus having the potent ial to contribute to further declines in the prevalence of dental cari es in the state. Those factors included in this study and associated w ith the prevalence of sealants suggest that major gains in sealant use will need to address not only those specific barriers preventing thei r use by the profession or public, but broader issues preventing the u tilization of dental services in general.