What percentage of Alabama kindergarteners have had caries experience?

• A. 25%
• B. 43%
• C. 60%
• D. 80%

Answer: (B)

Caries experience is a summary of whether a child has ever had tooth decay in their primary teeth, including decay that has been treated or filled. It captures lifetime burden, not just current decay. For Alabama kindergarteners, a bit under half have had caries experience, so nearly half of these children have encountered decay at some point in early childhood. That’s why this option best reflects the data. The other numbers would imply a much smaller or much larger lifetime burden than what this population shows: too low to fit the observed history of decay, or too high to be consistent with the origi nal measured experience.