Here are five statistics Becker’s has reported on in recent months that could lead to future roadblocks in the dental industry:
- Removing fluoride from U.S. public water systems would lead to a 7.5% increase in tooth decay and cost at least $9.8 billion over five years, according to a study published May 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum.
- More than 70 million adults in the U.S. do not have dental insurance, according to a report from the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health.
- The percentage of adults making cosmetic dental visits dropped to 4% in 2024, according to Delta Dental’s 2025 State of America’s Oral Health and Wellness Report.
- Thanh Nguyen, DDS, said his office saw a 33% increase in patient cancellations since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation took place in Tennessee, coinciding with similar trends at medical facilities across the U.S. since the Trump administration rescinded a policy that protected hospitals, medical clinics and churches from immigration enforcement.
