Ninety-one percent of adults believe their oral health is an integral part of their overall health, according to Delta Dental’s 2025 State of America’s Oral Health and Wellness Report.
Delta Dental Plans Association partnered with market research firm Material Holdings to conduct research for the report. Researchers surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults and parents of children 12 and under to create this year’s report.
Here are 15 trends to note from the report:
1. Ninety-one percent of adults believe their oral health is an integral part of their overall health.
2. Although most adults across different generations agreed that oral health is linked to overall health, Generation Z showed the lowest level of agreement at 86%. This difference was attributed to Generation Z potentially not experiencing as many health issues.
3. Thirty-six percent of adults rated their oral health as being good or excellent.
4. The percentage of adults who replace their toothbrush every three months has declined since 2023. Sixty-four percent of adults followed this recommendation, compared to 58% in 2024 and 53% in 2025.
5. The percentage of parents who took their children to unexpected dental visits declined from 17% in 2023 to 13% in 2024.
6. Two-thirds of parents admitted to having difficulty getting their children to brush their teeth. Fifty-eight percent said the primary reason for this challenge was that brushing teeth took time away from their children doing things they’d rather be doing. Thirty-eight percent said their kids don’t understand the importance of brushing their teeth.
7. The percentage of adults making preventive dental visits increased from 83% in 2023 to 84% in 2024.
8. The percentage of adults making unexpected dental visits decreased from 36% in 2023 to 22% in 2024.
9. The percentage of adults making cosmetic dental visits dropped from 12% in 2023 to 4% in 2024.
10. The top motivators for adults making a preventive dental visit included taking advantage of
dental insurance coverage and scheduling future checkups at the end of their exam.
11. Twenty-one percent of adults said they have avoided dental care due to anxiety, and 14% of parents said they have skipped taking their children to the dentist for the same reason.
12. Younger generations were also found to be more likely to avoid seeking oral healthcare because of anxiety.
13. Eighty-six percent of adults believe dental insurance is essential to protect oral and overall health.
14. Eighty-five percent of adults said dental insurance encourages them to practice better oral health habits.
15. Sixty-seven percent of adults who made a preventive dental visit in 2024 had dental insurance, compared to 28 percent of adults who did not have dental insurance.
