• Oral health is essential to general health and well-being.
• Oral disease can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, and learning. It can also affect social interaction and employment potential.
• The three oral conditions that most affect overall health and quality of life are cavities, severe gum disease, and severe tooth loss.
• By age 8, over half of children (52%) have had a cavity in their primary (baby) teeth.
• Children from low-income families are twice as likely to have cavities as children from higher-income families.
• 1 in 4 adults aged 20 to 64 currently has cavities.
• Drinking fluoridated water and getting dental sealants (in childhood) prevent cavities and save money by avoiding expensive dental care.
• Tobacco use and diabetes are two risk factors for gum disease.
• On average, 34 million school hours are lost each year because of unplanned (emergency) dental care, and over $45 billion in US productivity is lost each year due to untreated dental disease.
• Medical-dental integration between oral health and chronic disease prevention programs benefits patients and saves money.

• Your teeth are meant to last a lifetime! Tooth decay, or cavities, and periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, can be avoided or reduced by the daily removal of plaque.
• Plaque is made up of germs that live on your teeth all the time. It is important to remove this plaque daily to prevent these germs from making acid and other products that can cause cavities and harm your gums and the bone around your teeth.
• If you spend less than three minutes brushing your teeth, all the plaque is probably not being removed. Also, a toothbrush with worn-out bristles cannot clean your teeth properly. Try to replace your toothbrush at least every three to four months.
• A dental home care plan should include —
  • - daily toothbrushing with a soft toothbrush that is not worn out or frayed
  • using dental floss daily to clean areas that are hard for your toothbrush to reach — between your teeth and under the gumline
  • using a toothpaste or mouthrinse with fluoride
  • eating balanced meals and limiting foods high in sugar

• To brush away the plaque on your teeth, follow these steps:
  • Start by brushing the sides of your teeth that touch your cheek. Angle your toothbrush so it is up against your teeth and gums and jiggle the toothbrush back and forth in small strokes. Do only a few teeth at a time, and do it several times in each spot.
  • When you have completed the cheek side of your top and bottom teeth, brush the side that faces your tongue on the top and bottom teeth in the same way.
  • Brush the flat, chewing surfaces of your top and bottom teeth. These surfaces have many deep grooves where germs can “hide out.” Brush your tongue when you finish brushing your teeth to help your mouth feel fresher. To maintain the health of your teeth and gums, clean in between your teeth with dental floss after toothbrushing.

• Dental health begins with good oral hygiene. Proper toothbrushing helps to remove the germs that live on your teeth (called plaque), from the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of your teeth. But plaque will still remain on your teeth unless dental floss is also used.
• Flossing will remove plaque from between your teeth, especially in those hard-to-reach areas under the gumline.Combining the use of dental floss with toothbrushing to thoroughly remove plaque each day will help to prevent cavities and a gum infection (periodontal disease).

How To Floss

First wrap an 18-inch piece of floss around the middle finger of each hand. Hold about an inch of floss tightly between your thumb and forefinger. Gently slide the floss between the teeth. Be certain not to snap the floss in, or you may hurt your gums. Press the floss against one side of the tooth and move the floss up and down the tooth several times, being sure to reach under the gumline.

Floss both sides of every tooth. When you move on to the next tooth, be sure to use a clean section of floss. Your gums may bleed slightly the first few days you use dental floss. They will become healthier if you keep flossing. If it is hard for you to use floss, try a floss holder that you can buy at a drug store or pharmacy. It is recommended that you regularly visit a dental office to maintain the health of your teeth and gums.

• Cavities, also called tooth decay, are one of the greatest unmet health treatment needs.
• Untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning.
• Untreated cavities can lead to abscess (a severe infection) under the gums which can spread to other parts of the body and have serious, and in rare cases fatal, results.
• Among children aged 6 to 8 years, over half (52%) have had a cavity in their primary (baby) teeth.
• Children from low-income families are twice as likely to have untreated cavities as higher-income children.
• Among adolescents aged 12 to 19, more than half (57%) have had a cavity in their permanent teeth.
• Among adults aged 20 and older, about 90% have had at least one cavity.
• 1 in 4 adults aged 20 to 64 currently has at least one cavity.

• Dental sealants are thin coatings painted on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (molars) that can prevent cavities for many years.
• Dental sealants prevent 80% of cavities over 2 years in the back teeth, where 9 in 10 cavities occur.
• However, this effective intervention remains underused; less than half of children and adolescents have dental sealants.
• 4 in 10 children (42%) aged 6 to 11 years have dental sealants on permanent teeth.
• Among adolescents aged 12 to 19, 48% have dental sealants on permanent teeth.
• From 1999–2004 to 2011–2016, sealant use increased by about 75% among children aged 6–11 years from low-income families, reaching 39% in 2011–2016, compared to 45% among higher-income children.
• School-age children (ages 6–11) without sealants have almost 3 times as many cavities in the first molars as children who do have sealants.
• Applying sealants in schools for about 7 million children from low-income families who don’t have them could save up to $300 million in dental treatment costs.
• School sealant programs are an effective way to provide millions of children with sealants to prevent cavities.
• Adults aged 20 to 34 have more untreated cavities in their back teeth than any other age group. As a result, young adults may benefit from dental sealants.

• Adults 20 or older with diabetes are 40% more likely to have untreated cavities than similar adults without diabetes.
• There is an association between having diabetes and periodontal (gum) disease, a leading cause of tooth loss.
• About 60% of US adults with diabetes had a medical visit in the past year, but no dental visit.
• Expanding health care coverage for periodontal treatment among people with diabetes could save each person about $6,000 (2019 US dollars) over their lives.
• Adults 50 or older with diabetes lack functional dentition (have fewer than 20 teeth) 46% more often and have severe tooth loss (8 or fewer teeth) 56% more often than adults without diabetes.
• Adults 50 or older with diabetes are more likely to report that they have a hard time eating because of dental problems.
• Annual dental expenditures for an adult with diabetes are $77 (2017 US dollars) higher than for an adult without diabetes. This cost translates to $1.9 billion for the nation.
• Treating periodontal disease significantly improves blood sugar level (glycemic control) among people with diabetes compared to no treatment or routine care.

• Gum (periodontal) disease is an inflammatory disease that affects the hard and soft structures that support the teeth.
• Gum disease is a leading cause of tooth loss.
• Tooth loss may affect the ability to chew food and can get worse with the number and type of missing teeth—affecting a person’s diet quality.
• Diabetes, tobacco use, a weakened immune system, and poor oral hygiene all increase a person’s risk for gum disease.
• Mild gum disease can be controlled and treated with good oral hygiene and regular professional cleaning. More severe forms can also be treated successfully with consultation and treatment.
• Nearly half (46%) of all adults aged 30 years or older show signs of gum disease; severe gum disease affects about 9% of adults.

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus; nearly 80 million people are currently infected in the United States.
• HPV infection can cause cancer in the back of the throat, including the base of the tongue and tonsils (called oropharyngeal cancer).
• HPV is thought to cause 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States.
• HPV vaccination could prevent more than 90% of cancers caused by HPV from ever developing.
• Dental professionals have a vested interest in recommending HPV vaccination to their patients.

• During pregnancy, women may be more prone to gum disease and cavities.
• Pregnant women are more likely to develop gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease that occurs when the gums become red and swollen from inflammation that may be aggravated by changing hormones during pregnancy.
• 1 in 4 women of childbearing age have untreated cavities.
• A mother’s oral health status is a strong predictor of her child’s oral health status.
• Children of mothers who have high levels of untreated cavities or tooth loss are more than 3 times as likely to have cavities.
• Children with poor oral health status are nearly 3 times more likely to miss school because of dental pain.
• Regular and emergency dental care is safe at any stage of pregnancy.
• Women are encouraged to seek routine dental care during pregnancy.

• Cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and other forms of tobacco cause oral cancer, gum disease, and other oral health problems.
• Untreated tooth decay is higher in people who smoke cigarettes. Over 40% of adults aged 20 to 64 who currently smoke cigarettes have untreated tooth decay.
• Adults aged 65 or older who smoke cigarettes are twice as likely to have untreated tooth decay as those who never smoked.
• About 43% of adults aged 65 or older who currently smoke cigarettes have lost all of their teeth.
• Use of smokeless tobacco is associated with increased risks of oral cancer and can cause white or gray patches inside the mouth (e.g., oral leukoplakia).
• Health care providers in a variety of settings play a critical role in helping people quit using tobacco.

• Severe tooth loss—having 8 or fewer teeth—impacts the ability to eat meats, fruits, and vegetables, and presents yet another challenge to having a healthy diet.
• One quarter (26%) of adults aged 65 or older have 8 or fewer teeth.
• About 1 in 6 (17%) adults aged 65 or older have lost all of their teeth.
• Total tooth loss among adults aged 65 or older decreased by more than 30% from 27% in 1999–2004 to 17% in 2011–2016.
• Older adults who are poor, have less than a high school education, or are current cigarette smokers are more than 3 times as likely to have lost all their teeth as the comparison groups.

• Community water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water to a level recommended for preventing tooth decay.
• More than 75 years of research and experience shows that community water fluoridation is a safe and healthy practice.
• Community water fluoridation remains one of the most cost-effective methods of delivering fluoride to all community members regardless of age, educational attainment, or income level, and saves money for families and the US health care system.
• Drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and reduces cavities by about 25% in children and adults. This results in less pain, fewer fillings or teeth pulled, and fewer missed days of work and school.
• The return on investment for community water fluoridation varies with size of the community, increasing as the community size increases, and is cost-saving even for small communities. Communities of 1,000 or more see an average estimated return on investment of $20 for every $1 spent on water fluoridation.
• Communities served by fluoridated water save an average of $32 per person a year by avoiding treatment for cavities.
• In 2020, more than 200 million people, or nearly 73% of the US population on public water systems, had access to fluoridated water.
• Community water fluoridation is recommended by nearly all public health, medical, and dental organizations. It is recommended by the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, US Public Health Service, and World Health Organization.