(* State sample includes King County and Seattle .)

Graph Two: Eligibility for Free Lunch Program and Untreated Decay

Note on data collection: FRL information was obtained through school districts’ nutritional services departments. For the data collected statewide, information on FRL participation was missing for eight percent of the students, as some school districts chose not to share the information.  For the King County and Seattle samples, FRL information was missing for less than one percent of the students.

Race/Ethnicity

In all three samples, dental disease impacts children of color at a significantly higher rate.  For the categories of caries experience and untreated disease, white children show statistically significant lower rates.  (See Table Three.) The King County and Seattle samples were not statistically significantly different from each other.

Table Three: Comparison of Rates of Caries Experience
by Race/Ethnicity

Area	White	African American	Hispanic	Asian/PI	Native American
WA State	55%	60%	72%	68%	77%*
King County	37%	55%	58%	67%	*
Seattle	29%	55%	57%	66%	*

Graph Three: Comparison of Untreated Decay Rates By Race

(*Note on data collection: The state survey included Native American students that were surveyed through the Indian Health Services (IHS) and tribal dental clinics. The King County and Seattle samples do not include information from surveys completed by IHS or tribal dental clinics. Rates for Native Americans in King County or Seattle are not reported because, with relatively small numbers of Native Americans in these samples, the confidentiality promised to survey respondents could be compromised and the numbers are not large enough to report reliable rates.)

The most statistically significant differences are shown in rates of untreated decay, with King County children of color twice as likely and Seattle children of color are three times as likely to have the condition. (See Graph Three.)

Language

All three samples (state, King County , and Seattle ) indicate a difference in caries experience between students with English as a primary language and those indicating another language spoken at home. There are no statistically significant differences among the three survey samples. (See Table Four.)

Table Four: Oral Health Measures Stratified by Language
for 2nd and 3rd Grade Students

Variable	WA State	WA State	King County	King County	Seattle	Seattle
	English	Other Language	English	Other Language	English	Other Language
	(n=6290)	(n=986)	(n=1441)	(n=314)	(n=752)	(n=269)
% with caries experience	56.7%	73.6%	42.7%	65.8%	37.6%	66.0%
% with untreated decay	18.0%	30.8%	14.5%	27.6%	14.4%	28.7%

Students whose primary language is not English are more likely to have caries experience. Of more immediate concern, they are also more likely to have untreated decay.

Graph Four: Untreated decay by primary language

Students were asked what language was spoken at home to determine language. The data mixes both students newly arrived in the United States and those who have been living in the country for a longer period. Students speaking languages other than English may face additional barriers in getting care. Primary languages spoken may also reflect cultural beliefs that affect the prevalence of dental disease. Examining these aspects of primary languages spoken are beyond the scope of this survey.