Overall, the prevalence of both partial and total tooth loss in adults has decreased from the early 1970s until the latest (1999-2004) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In spite of this improvement, significant disparities remain in some population groups.
Tables 1 and 2 present information about tooth loss for adults age 20 to 64 years and for selected population groups.
Number of Teeth Remaining (Table 1)
- Adults age 20 to 64 have an average of 24.92 remaining teeth.
- Older adults, Black adults, current smokers, and those with lower incomes and less education have fewer remaining teeth.
Number of Adults with Total Tooth Loss (Table 2)
- 3.75% of adults 20 to 64 have no remaining teeth
- Older adults, Black and Hispanic adults, current smokers, and those with lower incomes and less education are more likely to have no remaining teeth.
Table 1: Adults, Mean Number of Permanent Teeth Remaining
Mean number of permanent teeth among adults age 20 to 64 years of age, by selected characteristics:
United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004
Characteristic | Mean Number of Permanent Teeth |
---|
Age |
---|
20 to 34 years | 26.90 |
---|
35 to 49 years | 25.05 |
---|
50 to 64 years | 22.30 |
---|
Sex |
---|
Male | 25.06 |
---|
Female | 24.90 |
---|
Race and Ethnicity |
---|
White, non-Hispanic | 25.23 |
---|
Black, non-Hispanic | 23.68 |
---|
Mexican American | 25.32 |
---|
Poverty Status (Income compared to Federal Poverty Level) |
---|
Less than 100% | 23.52 |
---|
100% to 199% | 23.64 |
---|
Greater than 200% | 25.48 |
---|
Education |
---|
Less than High School | 23.10 |
---|
High School | 24.35 |
---|
More than High School | 25.76 |
---|
Smoking History |
---|
Current Smoker | 23.47 |
---|
Former Smoker | 25.12 |
---|
Never Smoked | 25.67 |
---|
Overall | 24.98 |
---|
Data Source: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has been an important source of information on oral health and dental care in the United States since the early 1970s. Tables 1 through 4 present the latest NHANES (collected between 1999 and 2004) data regarding tooth loss in adults.
Table 2: Adults, Number with No Remaining Teeth
Mean number of permanent teeth among adults age 20 to 64 years of age, by selected characteristics:
United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004
Characteristic | Percentage with no Remaining Teeth |
---|
Age |
---|
20 to 34 years | (not enough data) |
---|
35 to 49 years | 2.63 |
---|
50 to 64 years | 10.13 |
---|
Sex |
---|
Male | 3.79 |
---|
Female | 3.72 |
---|
Race and Ethnicity |
---|
White, non-Hispanic | 3.96 |
---|
Black, non-Hispanic | 4.14 |
---|
Mexican American | 1.51 |
---|
Poverty Status (Income compared to Federal Poverty Level) |
---|
Less than 100% | 9.28 |
---|
100% to 199% | 6.48 |
---|
Greater than 200% | 2.35 |
---|
Education |
---|
Less than High School | 8.07 |
---|
High School | 5.41 |
---|
More than High School | 1.66 |
---|
Smoking History |
---|
Current Smoker | 7.79 |
---|
Former Smoker | 3.57 |
---|
Never Smoked | 1.55 |
---|
Overall | 3.76 |
---|
Data Source: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has been an important source of information on oral health and dental care in the United States since the early 1970s. Tables 1 through 4 present the latest NHANES (collected between 1999 and 2004) data regarding tooth loss in adults.