Oral Health Fast Facts
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Consumer Habits and Trends

• Over 95% of U.S. adults who have been treated by a dental hygienist without a dentist on the premises, say they felt comfortable with the care they received.
• 50% of all American youth ages 17 and under have had cavities in their permanent teeth.
• 75% of the U.S. population has some form of periodontal gum disease.
• 50% of Americans do not receive regular oral health care.
• Americans spend upwards of $2 billion a year on dental products--toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss.
• 94% of Americans say they brush nightly; 81% say they do it first thing in the morning.
• Both men and women feel guilty when they forget to brush, and 79% of those surveyed say they brush because it?s something they were always told they had to do.
• Roughly 55% of all people who floss do it every day. Of those, 14% floss before breakfast; 26% between breakfast and lunch; 19% between lunch and dinner; and 32% after dinner only. And 67% say they floss before going to bed.

Links and Tips

• Dental hygienists screen for serious health problems, such as HIV infection, oral cancers, eating disorders, substance abuse, and diabetes.
• Dental caries is the major cause of tooth loss in children; periodontal (gum) disease is the major cause of tooth loss in adults.
• Snacking on celery, carrots, or apples helps clear away loose food and debris.
• Toothbrushes should be replaced every two-three months and after illnesses, like a cold or flu.
• Two out of three dental hygienists report that they see signs of hypertension and heart disease in some of their patients.
• Three out of four patients don?t change their toothbrush as often as they should.
• Tongue and lip piercing can cause blood poisoning, prolonged or permanent drooling, damaged sense of taste, toxic shock syndrome, permanent damage to tooth enamel and oral tissue, and transmission of infections such as hepatitis B and HIV.
• Tobacco is the primary cause of oral cancers. Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or using smokeless tobacco quadruples the risk of developing oral cancer.
• Oral cancer occurs twice as frequently in men as women.
• The biggest oral health problem for infants is early tooth decay, known as baby- bottle tooth decay. This results when babies routinely fall asleep with bottles filled with sugary liquids such as milk, formula, and juice--anything other than plain water.
• Chewing gum can help eliminate food particles caught between teeth after a meal and also helps prevent plaque build up by stimulating saliva production.
• Dental caries, popularly known as tooth decay, is an infectious, transmissible disease. Research shows that the presence of bacteria known as streptococcous mutans leads to dental caries in children. This decay-causing bacteria is typically transferred from primary caregivers to young children between 22026 months of age.

Women

• More women than men report brushing before going out, and more women are likely to brush their teeth at work or in a restaurant bathroom.
• Women tend to floss more than men, and people over age 50 floss more than children and young adults.
• Oral contraceptives increase estrogen levels, promoting the growth of bacteria that causes gingivitis and heightening the risk of infection.
• Sodium fluoride, delivered in slow release form, slows the bone-thinning process of osteoporosis and stimulates bone-rebuilding efforts.
• The average 65-year-old woman has lost 12 permanent teeth and more than half of women aged 75 and older and older have lost all their teeth. But research shows that tooth loss is preventable by taking estrogen after menopause.
• Symptoms of osteoporosis can be detected on dental x-rays.

About Dental Hygienists

• There are more than 140,000 registered dental hygienists in the United States.
• 98.3% of the nation?s dental hygienists are female.
• There are 260 nationally accredited dental hygiene education programs in the United States.
• Between 1992 and 2005, the number of new jobs for dental hygienists is projected at 40,000--a 41% growth rate.
• Dental hygienists who graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program receive an average of nearly 2,000 hours of classroom study in academic subjects emphasizing basic sciences, dental sciences, dental hygiene theory (including pain control, nutrition, oral health education, and preventive counseling), and periodontics (the study of gums and their supporting structures). These hours include at least 600 hours of supervised instruction in preclinical and clinical skills.
• While most dental hygienists work in private oral health practices, others provide services in hospitals; managed care organizations, federal, state, and municipal health departments; primary and secondary school systems; private businesses and industry; correctional institutions; and private and public centers for pediatric, geriatric, and other special needs groups.
• The "RDH" designation stands for Registered Dental Hygienist. It assures patients that a dental hygienist has completed a nationally accredited dental hygiene program, has successfully passed a national written and state clinical examination, and has received a state license to provide preventive oral health care services and patient education. (In Indiana, the designation LDH ) Licensed Dental Hygienist) is used instead of RDH.) Make sure your preventive oral health care is being provided by a licensed dental hygienist.
• Restrictive supervising laws for dental hygienists make oral health care more difficult to find. Although laws that govern dental hygiene care differ from state to state, dental hygiene services are largely confined to private dental offices because of supervision laws, which require that dental hygienists practice under the supervision of a dentist.
• One state--Colorado--has independent practice laws that allow registered dental hygienists to practice without the supervision of a dentist in all settings. Only a few other states, including California and Washington allow it in some situations.

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