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!