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New Jersey Value:
Percentage of children ages 1-17 who had one or more preventive dental care visits during the past 12 months (2-year estimate)
New Jersey Rank:
Percentage of children ages 1-17 who had one or more preventive dental care visits during the past 12 months (2-year estimate)
88.0% - 84.9%
84.8% - 82.8%
82.7% - 79.6%
79.5% - 78.9%
78.8% - 71.9%
US Value: 80.2 %
Top State(s): Colorado: 88.0 %
Bottom State(s): Florida: 71.9 %
Definition: Percentage of children ages 1-17 who had one or more preventive dental care visits during the past 12 months (2-year estimate)
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children's Health, 2023-2024
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, National Survey of Children's Health, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Oral health is a vital component of health. Untreated oral health issues in children can lead to school absences and poor academic outcomes, and continue to impact health into adolescence and adulthood. Research suggests that more than 34 million school hours are lost every year because of acute or unplanned dental care. Another study found that children who had their first dental visit after the age of 4, as opposed to earlier, ended up having more dental procedures and incurred higher dental care costs.
Early preventive dental visits can prevent many oral health problems. Fluoride and dental sealants can help prevent cavities, the most common chronic condition for children in the United States. Dental sealants alone can prevent 80% of cavities on molars for up to two years if applied shortly after the teeth emerge.
A study of survey data from the COVID-19 pandemic saw a decline in access to pediatric dental health care. Reports of poor oral health among children increased by 75% between 2019 and 2020, while children’s dental visits decreased by 27%.
According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of children who had at least one preventive dental visit in the past year is higher among:
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that parents and other care providers establish a dental home for their child and have their first dental visit by 12 months of age.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends implementing school-based dental sealant delivery programs in low-income school districts and for select at-risk individuals.
Healthy People 2030 has two objectives related to preventive dental care for children:
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. “Policy on the Dental Home.” In The Reference Manual of Pediatric Dentistry, 35–37. Latest Revision 2023. Chicago, IL: American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2023. https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policies_guidelines/p_dentalhome.pdf.
Baker, Suzanne D., Jessica Y. Lee, and Robin Wright. The Importance of the Age One Dental Visit. Chicago, IL: Pediatric Oral Health Research and Policy Center, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2019. https://www.aapd.org/globalassets/media/policy-center/year1visit.pdf.
Guarnizo-Herreño, Carol Cristina, Wei Lyu, and George L. Wehby. “Children’s Oral Health and Academic Performance: Evidence of a Persisting Relationship Over the Last Decade in the United States.” The Journal of Pediatrics 209 (June 2019): 183-189.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.01.045.
Lyu, Wei, and George L. Wehby. “Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Oral Health and Oral Health Care Use.” The Journal of the American Dental Association 153, no. 8 (August 2022): 787-796.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2022.02.008.
National Institutes of Health. Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, 2021. https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/Oral-Health-in-America-Advances-and-Challenges.pdf.
Nowak, Arthur J., Paul S. Casamassimo, JoAnna Scott, and Richard Moulton. “Do Early Dental Visits Reduce Treatment and Treatment Costs for Children?” Pediatric Dentistry 36, no. 7 (2014): 489–93. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25514078/.
Shearer, D. M., W. Murray Thomson, Jonathan M. Broadbent, and Richie Poulton. “Maternal Oral Health Predicts Their Children’s Caries Experience in Adulthood.” Journal of Dental Research 90, no. 5 (May 2011): 672–77.https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034510393349.
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