According to the Washington Citizens Watch for Oral Health, oral disease is the most common, chronic disease in children- five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.

The Pierce County Smile Survey told us that among 2nd and 3rd graders:

• 73% of children of color and 65% of children receiving free or reduced price meals had a history of decay (either treated or untreated).
• Even among children not in these high-risk categories, however, over half had a history of decay.

Although the prevalence of decay history is similar, severity of decay may be worse in Pierce County than in the state:

• 37% of 2nd and 3rd graders had a history of decay in seven or more teeth (rampant decay), compared to 21% in all of Washington.
• Among low-income preschool children, 39% had a history of decay in the upper front teeth (severe early childhood caries), compared to 18% in all of Washington.

The Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program began in August of 2005, and the data for 2005 is included in the 2006 total.  Enrollment for 2005-2006 reached 10,140 (42.1%) infants and children of the 24,079 eligible for the program.  In 2007, there were a total of 10,358 (42.2%) infants and children enrolled of 24,570 eligible for the program.  Enrollment in 2008 increased by about 16% from 10,358 children in 2007 to 11,972 children.  In 2009, the number of eligible children rose by over 5% to 35,304 and usage increased by nearly 2% to 13,888.