The oral health of Americans has improved in multiple ways due to changes in policy, technological advancements and a better understanding of oral health, according to a Dec. 21 report from the National Institutes of Health. However, several areas of improvement require greater attention and resources.
The 790-page report, "Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges," was created by the agency's National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research with the help of 400 experts. It serves as a follow-up to the group's 2000 report and provides updated information using public research and evidence-based practices.
Thirteen statistics to know:
- Authors cited a 2016 Global Burden of Disease study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that found four of the 30 most prevalent diseases are related to oral health. They are untreated dental caries in adult teeth, severe periodontitis, untreated dental caries in baby teeth and severe or complete tooth loss.
- Dental expenses make up more than one-quarter of overall healthcare out-of-pocket expenses and present higher financial barriers than medical, prescription pharmaceutical and mental healthcare.
- Untreated tooth decay in preschool children has been reduced by nearly 50 percent in the last two decades thanks to initiatives to improve oral healthcare in children, including promotion of first dental visits at age 1, integration of oral healthcare with primary care and improvements to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
- Tooth loss has declined among adults. Thirteen percent of adults ages 65-74 are lacking teeth today, compared with 50 percent in the 1960s.
- The prevalence of untreated oral diseases has grown, affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide.
- Authors in the report argue health and economic circumstances are linked. Productivity losses in the U.S. associated with untreated oral disease amounted to an estimated $45.9 billion in 2015.
- There were 2.4 million hospital emergency department visits for nontraumatic dental conditions in 2014, representing more than $1.6 billion in charges.
- The oral health of adolescents ages 12-19 has not improved as well as it has for younger children. About 57 percent of adolescents have experienced dental cavities.
- Despite little progress being made to prevent dental cavities in adolescents, there has been a slight improvement in the prevalence of untreated tooth decay, with a 3 percent decline.
- There has been no substantive change in the two most prevalent oral diseases affecting adults, dental caries and periodontal disease. Caries affect 9 of 10 adults ages 20-64 in the U.S. At least 2 in 5 adults ages 45-64 are affected by periodontal disease and 1 in 10 adults ages 45-64 are affected by severe periodontitis.
- More than 1 in 4 working-age adults have no dental insurance.
- About half of working-age adults with private dental insurance have visited a dentist in the past 12 months, while only 1 in 5 with public dental insurance and 1 in 6 with no insurance have had a dental visit in the past 12 months.
- Older adults continue to have fewer teeth extracted since 2000, but there has been no change in the prevalence of dental caries. Untreated tooth decay in older adults declined from an estimated 28 percent to 22 percent since 2000.
To view the full report, click here.