Healthy People 2020 Impact paper: Oral Health Chamberlain University NR503NP Population Health, Epidemiology, and Statistical Principle

 Oral health is an important part of health for all Americans. Tooth decay (cavities) is one
of the most unnecessary chronic conditions of childhood in the United States. About 1 in 5 (20%)
children aged 5–11 years have at least one untreated decayed tooth (CDC, 2019). Poor oral
health can have a big impact on children’s quality of life, nutritional status, speech, work habits
in school, self-esteem, and overall health (CDC, 2020). The percentage of children and
adolescents aged 5–19 years with untreated tooth decay is two times as high for children from
low-income families (25%), compared with children from higher-income households (12%)
(CDC, 2020). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nationally, more than
one-in-four (over 40 million) pre-school children have experienced tooth decay (CDC, 2019)
(DPH, 2020). This paper aims to explore the school age population health effects associated with
oral health, provide an overview of the objective, review the epidemiologic and analysis
associated with oral health, and lastly discuss the application of Healthy People 2020 goals.
Overview, Background, and Significance
The main goals of the Healthy People 2020 initiative are to promote a healthy lifestyle
while decreasing complications from comorbidities, and improving the overall health of
Americans. In the United States, tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood,
as it is five times more common than asthma (DPH, 2020). According to the Georgia Department
of Public Health, “30% or 8.6 million of 6-12 y/o children have missed school due to an oral
health problem. That is 9,067,082 full school days missed, and 4,029,814 half days missed”
(DPH, 2020). Oral health disparities continue to be a problem due to children’s access to dental
care, with bigger disease prevalence in vulnerable populations, as well as those with a low family
income status and limited resources (DPH, 2020). According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, “the ethnic groups of African Americans and Mexican Americans have the