Trends of Dental Caries Prevalence in Children Under 14-Year-Old Using a Health Insurance Database

The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in the prevalence of dental caries and demand for dental caries treatment among children under 14 years old using Health Insurance Review and Assessment data. The analysis was conducted using treatment records from a random sample of approximately 1 million pediatric patients from a population that included all children and adolescents for each year from 2011 to 2020. In this study, the number of children diagnosed with K02 dental caries and the number of children receiving dental caries treatment across all ages have increased. However, the number of children aged 10 to 14 who received pulp treatment or extraction has decreased. In the National Survey of Children’s Oral Health, the decay-missing-filled teeth index for 5- and 12-year-olds has stagnated or increased slightly, but the percentage of the population with active dental caries has decreased. Accessibility and local environments for dental caries treatment have generally improved compared to the past, but preventive dental care has stagnated over the past decade. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of oral health programs implemented in Korea to promote and prevent dental caries among children.