Why is maintaining good oral wellness important?
• Tooth decay is one of the most common childhood diseases • By age 17, 78% of young people have had a cavity, and 7% have lost one permanent tooth • Among adults aged 35 to 44 years, 69% have lost at least one permanent tooth • About one-third of persons across all age groups have untreated tooth decay • Almost 3 of every 10 adults over 65 have lost all their teeth • 1 out of 250 young adults (18 – 34) is missing all of their teeth • Toothaches are the most common pain of the mouth or face for adults • Almost 1 of every 4 adults reported some form of facial pain in the past 6 months • Tooth loss contributes to restrictions of food types, and may contribute to nutrition problems. • Each year 30,000 Americans learn they have mouth and throat cancer, and 8,000 die of these diseasesAccording to the Health Insurance Underwriters: • $60 billion spent on dental care in 2005 • 100 million lost work hours • 6.1 million days of bed disability • 12.7 million days of restricted activity This equa
