A Family Dentist Shares Surprising Oral Health Statistics

Family dentists serve the same purpose that general dentists do, except they treat everyone in a family - not just adults and not just children. With that being said, family dentists are able to offer great oral and dental care to their patients, and this includes going over oral health statistics.

While some people ignore statistics, they can actually be beneficial to a person who is curious about different facts or studies that are going on within the oral health industry. In this article, we will go over a family dentist sharing surprising oral health statistics.

Oral health statistics from a family dentist

Statistics that relate to oral health can often be frightening but they exist in order to educate people so that they can take preventative measures to keep themselves healthy. Visiting your family dentist regularly will help ensure that your oral health stays in optimal condition.

Oral cancer

One of the most common oral health statistics that family dentists (and other dentists) discuss is that of oral cancer. Oral cancer affects people every year and a lot of the times, the cancer goes unnoticed.

About 53,000 people will be diagnosed with oral cancer each year and around 10,000 will die from it. These statistics have risen by about 15% since the late ’70s, meaning that people are slowly starting to care for their mouths less and less. This statistic comes from the American Cancer Society which every dental professional (including family dentists) pays close attention to in order to better inform their patients.

Flossing

Family dentists say that flossing is an essential part of maintaining good oral hygiene as it promotes bacteria-free teeth and gums by removing leftover food particles that get stuck.

However, the ADA found that more than a third of American’s don’t floss each day which can be extremely detrimental to one’s overall oral health. A third of America’s population doesn’t believe that flossing is crucial and family dentists are urging their patients to floss regularly to lower that statistic.

Cavities

Family dentists are oral health advocates for people of all ages, they work to keep both children and adult’s oral health in good shape. But, that can often be difficult if the patients themselves don’t properly care for their mouths.

A surprising statistic from the ADHA states that by the time a person is 17 years old, there is a 78% chance that they will already have at their first cavity. This may happen because children and teenagers neglect dental and oral health routines. Or, they may also fill their mouths with sugars and soda and neglect to brush properly later on.

How statistics help

Oral health statistics usually enlighten a person to either work on their oral health or motivate them to continue their good oral hygiene. However, visiting a family dentist regularly will ensure that a person and their entire family is able to maintain good overall oral health which will inevitably promote good health for the entire body.

If you have questions about oral health statistics then reach out to us so that we can help you. These statistics aren’t meant to scare you but rather help you maintain good oral health. Give us a call or stop by today!

Request an appointment here: https://www.mytotaldentistry.com or call McCarthy Dentistry at (740) 546-5178 for an appointment in our Marietta office.

Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Family Dentist.