National Dental Health Care

Following are some important facts:

The nation has seen dramatic improvements in oral health over the last 50 years, largely due to improved prevention, treatment methods, and fluoridation. But the U.S. Surgeon General reports that profound and consequential disparities still persist. Those who suffer the worst oral health include the poor, especially children and the elderly. Far too many Americans still experience needless pain and suffering from common, easily treatable dental diseases that threaten overall health and diminish the quality of life at school, at work and at home.

Oral health means much more than good teeth: it is integral to overall health and well-being.

• Ignoring oral health problems can lead to serious infections, needless pain and suffering, lost productivity and significant financial and social costs.
• There is mounting scientific evidence linking dental problems like periodontal disease, a bacterial disease of the gums, with systemic health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and preterm and low-birth-weight babies.
• Pain and suffering caused by dental diseases interferes with normal human functions like eating, speaking, learning and social interaction.

Among children, dental cavities are the single most common - and most preventable - disease.

• Untreated dental diseases in children can lead to serious general health problems, including diminished growth, compromised nutrition and poor academic achievement.
• More than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness.
• One-fourth of lower-income children have not seen a dentist before entering kindergarten.

Dental disease is a growing problem for adults and older Americans.

• While the overall incidence of dental disease has declined, dental disease rates begin to increase after age 45 and nearly double by age 65.
• 164 million hours of work are lost each year due to dental disease and oral health problems.
• While most Americans do not have dental insurance, in 2005, only 25.3 million adults - 12 percent of the adult population - did not receive dental care because they could not afford it.
• Periodontal (gum) disease is the most common threat to oral health, affecting 27 percent of the over-65 population.
• Scientists believe periodontal infections are linked to cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis; nearly one-third of people with diabetes suffer from severe periodontal disease.
• Severe periodontal disease, a bacterial infection of the gums, affects 14 percent of adults age 45 to 54; viral infections affect 19 percent of adults.

Prevention is always less costly than delayed treatment. Many Americans who currently do not seek preventive dental care need to make this a higher priority. Federal and state governments need to better fund dental care programs to educate those who are truly unable to afford dental care and provide essential services. Fluoridation is the single most cost effective way to reduce dental disease, especially among low income populations.