Children's oral health in the United States is at a five-year high, according to Delta Dental's 2026 State of America's Oral Health Report, which found that 78 percent of parents now rate their child's oral health as good or excellent. Kids are brushing, flossing, and rinsing more than they did a year ago. The catch is that only 27 percent of parents know when that first dental visit is actually supposed to happen, which means the single most cost-effective step in a child's dental life is still being missed by roughly three in four families.
The report, released May 19, 2026, surveyed 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults and 1,000 parents of children ages 12 and under. Below we break down what it found, why the good news comes with a warning, and what a family should do with these numbers before the next school year starts.
What did Delta Dental's 2026 report find about children's oral health?
It found that children's oral health has reached its highest point in five years, driven by better daily habits at home. Delta Dental's survey reported that 78 percent of parents rate their child's oral health as good or excellent, the strongest result the report has recorded in half a decade, and that 95 percent of parents say they prioritize their child's oral health.
The daily-habit numbers are where the jump is most visible. Compared with 2025, more children are keeping up a full home-care routine, not just brushing.
Key stats parents should know
- 78 percent of parents rate their child's oral health as good or excellent, the highest in five years (Delta Dental, 2026 State of America's Oral Health Report).
- Only 27 percent of parents know the recommended timing for a child's first dental visit, which is within six months of the first tooth or by age one (Delta Dental, 2026).
- Families with dental coverage report roughly 1,000 dollars in estimated annual savings, and individuals about 350 dollars (Delta Dental, 2026).
- The survey ran January 5 to 15, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent, fielded by Material Holdings, LLC (Delta Dental, 2026).
How much have kids' daily habits actually improved?
Across every core habit, more children are keeping a daily routine in 2026 than in 2025. Delta Dental reported gains in brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use among children ages 12 and under, with flossing and rinsing seeing the biggest year-over-year jumps.
| Daily habit (children 12 and under) | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Brush twice daily | 67 percent | 75 percent |
| Floss daily | 50 percent | 64 percent |
| Use mouthwash daily | 46 percent | 60 percent |
Source: Delta Dental 2026 State of America's Oral Health Report. The 14-point rise in daily flossing is the standout, because flossing is the habit parents most often report as the hardest to build. Delta Dental also noted that reward systems are doing real work here: 76 percent of parents use rewards for a good report from the dentist, and 73 percent reward well-behaved visits.
Why is the first dental visit still the biggest gap?
Because most parents simply do not know when it is supposed to happen. Delta Dental found that just 27 percent of parents could correctly identify the recommended timing for a first dental visit, which the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association both place within six months of the first tooth erupting, or no later than the child's first birthday.
That gap matters more than it sounds. A first visit around age one is not really about a full cleaning. It is a chance to catch early decay, check that teeth and jaw are developing normally, and coach parents on feeding and brushing before problems start. We covered this in depth in our report on why most parents wait too long for a child's first dental visit, and the Delta Dental data confirms the knowledge gap has not closed. If your child does not yet have a dental home, a pediatric-focused practice such as Super Kids Dental in Riverside is the kind of clinic set up specifically for very young first-time patients.
Do families in rural areas face a harder path?
Yes. Even as national habits improve, access to preventive care is uneven. Delta Dental reported that 53 percent of urban adults had a preventive dental visit compared with 40 percent of rural adults in 2025, a 13-point gap that shapes whether a family can turn good home habits into professional care.
The report also framed preventive care as the new default nationally: 89 percent of dentist-visiting adults chose preventive care in 2025, up from 84 percent in 2024, and 90 percent of adults now consider preventive dental exams as important as their annual physical, up from 87 percent in 2025. For families, the takeaway is that home habits are trending in the right direction, but they only pay off fully when paired with a regular checkup, which remains harder to reach in rural communities. If you are planning ahead for the school year, our guide to back to school dental checkups in 2026 walks through timing that visit.
What does the report say about the value of dental coverage?
It links coverage directly to both savings and outcomes. Delta Dental found that 82 percent of respondents say dental insurance is essential to protecting their oral and overall health, and that families with coverage report roughly 1,000 dollars in estimated annual savings, while covered individuals report about 350 dollars. For a household budgeting around back-to-school and end-of-year costs, that framing turns a checkup from an expense into a hedge.
"Oral health is playing an increasingly important role in how adults define overall well-being," said James W. Hutchison, President and CEO of the Delta Dental Plans Association.
That shift in how families think about the mouth, less as a set of teeth and more as part of whole-body health, is the through-line of the whole report. The children's numbers suggest the message is reaching the next generation, at least at the sink. The first-visit gap suggests it has not yet reached the front desk of a dental office.
What should families do with these numbers?
Three moves cover most of what the report points to. First, if your child is under one and has a tooth, book a first visit now rather than waiting for a problem. Second, keep the daily routine that is clearly working, and lean on the reward systems most parents already use for good reports. Third, if you have dental coverage, use it before the plan year resets, because the preventive visit is where the reported savings actually come from.
Frequently asked questions
When should a child first see a dentist?
Within six months of the first tooth appearing, or by the child's first birthday, whichever comes first. This is the standard from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association, and it is the timing only 27 percent of parents in the Delta Dental 2026 report identified correctly.
Is children's oral health really improving?
By the measures in this report, yes. Delta Dental found children's oral health at a five-year high, with 78 percent of parents rating it good or excellent and daily brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use all up from 2025.
How reliable is the Delta Dental report?
It surveyed 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults and 1,000 parents of children 12 and under from January 5 to 15, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent, fielded by Material Holdings, LLC. It reflects parent-reported behavior and opinion, so it captures habits and awareness rather than clinical exam findings.
Does dental insurance really save families money?
The report ties coverage to roughly 1,000 dollars in estimated annual savings for families and about 350 dollars for individuals, and 82 percent of respondents called dental insurance essential to their overall health. Actual savings depend on your plan and how much preventive care you use.
You can read the full findings in the 2026 State of America's Oral Health Report from Delta Dental, and the summary release is available via PR Newswire.
Updated July 2026.
