Teeth: By the Numbers
- Only four percent of adults believe they have gum disease; 75 percent actually do.
- Forty percent of adults do not visit the dentist on a yearly basis.
- 84 percent of American adults said they would be willing to make changes in their oral care habits if they were told they were at risk of getting gum disease.
- Only four percent of adults 18-84 are missing all of their teeth.
- Crude toothbrushes made of twigs with frayed ends have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to 3000 BC.
- 65 percent of Americans surveyed know that toothpaste contains fluoride.
- 24 percent wet their toothbrush before and after putting the paste on.
- 21 percent of Americans confess to never flossing.
- Almost half of all children age four and under suck their thumb.
- One in 20 adults and three in 20 children unconsciously grind their teeth at night.
- Mouthguards which act as dental "shock absorbers," prevent an estimated 200,000 oral injuries in the United States every year.
- Commonly the number of teeth that need sealing to prevent "groove" decay is 16.
- Fewer than 20 percent of school children have sealants on their teeth, even though sealants have been proven safe and effective by research for over 20 years.
- Studies show that 20 percent of school age children get 80 percent of the cavities.
- The sum total of all the above #’s is 203,659 which is 1/3 of all the number of seconds that I have spent over the past 23 years counseling my patients on why they should brush their teeth 3 times a day and see their dentist and hygienist 2 times a year!
- And the survey said," You can trust the numbers; numbers don’t lie." Go figure!