Dental Care Costs

• According to a 2010 report from Pew Center on the States, total annual spending for dental care is expected to increase 58 percent, from $101.9 billion to $161.4 billion, through 2018.
• According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, dental services expenditures are expected to increase steadily at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 5.4 percent through 2019.
• A 2009 poll by Harris Interactive and HealthDay found that 50 percent of uninsured Americans skipped necessary dental care visits due to financial burdens.
• In 2009, the total dental expense for U.S. children was approximately $30.6 billion, one-third of all spending on dental care, according to a report from Pew Center on the States.

Dental Care for Children

• A 2010 report from Pew Center on the States found that one out of every five children under the age of 18 goes without dental care every year.
• For each child without medical insurance, there are at least 2.6 children without dental insurance, according to a Surgeon General’s Report on oral health.
• Each year, more than 51 million school hours are lost due to dental related problems, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• According to the Academy of General Dentistry, tooth decay is the most common and the most preventable disease in children. Yet, tooth decay is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.
• Dental costs are roughly 20 percent of a child’s total health care expenses, according to a report from Pew Center on the States.

Dental Care for Seniors

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 20 percent of Americans age 75 and older have any form of private dental insurance.
• A study by The Dental School showed that Medicare beneficiaries who used preventive dental care had more dental visits but fewer visits for expensive nonpreventive procedures and lower dental expenses than beneficiaries who saw the dentist only for treatment of oral problems.

Oral Health

• According to the American Dental Hygienist Association, nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of gum disease – from simple inflammation to severe cases – and don’t even know it.
• According to the Academy of General Dentistry, more than 90 percent of all systematic diseases have oral health symptoms.
• A poll conducted by Harris Interactive of 1,000 people over 35 revealed that 60 percent of adults knew little, if anything, about gum disease, the symptoms, available treatments and the consequences.

Medical & Dental Insurance

• The National Center for Health Statistics states that while 172 million Americans under 65 have private health insurance, only 45 million of them have any sort of dental plan.
• A 2011 report by the Commonwealth Fund estimates that 9 million adults lost their health insurance in the last two years.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 48 percent of workers have access to employer-offered dental plans, compared to the 74 percent of workers with access to similar medical coverage.

Dental Benefits at Work

• Only half of all Americans have access to employer-sponsored dental benefits, according to the National Association of Dental Plans.
• According to a 2011 survey by The Long Group, 83 percent of employees with an employer contributory dental plan visit the dentist twice or more per year.
• Lost work due to dental problems equates to 164 million hours of employee productivity each year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.