Dental Caries (Tooth Decay) in Seniors (Age 65 and Over)

Dental Caries in Permanent (Adult) Teeth

Note: Approximately 5% of seniors age 65 and older have no teeth. This survey applies only to those seniors who have teeth.

Dental caries, both treated and untreated, in seniors age 65 and older declined from the early 1970s until the most recent (1999-2004) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The decrease was significant in all population subgroups. In spite of this decline, significant disparities are still found in some population groups.

Prevalence (Table 1)

• 92% of seniors 65 and older have had dental caries in their permanent teeth.
• White seniors and those living in families with higher incomes and more education have had more decay.

Unmet Needs (Table 2)

• 23% of seniors 65 and older have untreated decay.
• Black and Hispanic seniors and those with lower incomes and less education have more untreated decay.

Severity (Table 3 and Table 4)

• Seniors 65 and older have an average of 3.28 decayed or missing permanent teeth and 13.65 decayed and missing permanent surfaces.
• Hispanic subgroups and those with lower incomes have more severe decay in permanent teeth.
• Black and Hispanic subgroups and those with lower incomes have more untreated permanent teeth.

Tables 1 through 4 present selected caries estimates in permanent teeth for seniors aged 65 and older years and for selected subgroups.

Units of Measure: Dental caries is measured by a dentist examining a person’s teeth, and recording the ones with untreated decay and the ones with fillings. This provides three important numbers:

• FT (filled teeth): this is the number of decayed teeth that have been treated, which indicates access to dental care;
• DMT (decayed and missing teeth): this is the number decayed and missing teeth that have not been treated, which measures unmet need; and
• DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth): this is the sum of DMT and FT, and is the measure of person’s total lifetime tooth decay.

In addition to counting decayed and filled teeth, this same information can be gathered at the tooth surface level. Since every tooth has multiple surfaces, counting the decayed or filled surfaces provides a more accurate measure of the severity of decay. The following tables list both methods of measuring caries.

Table 1: Seniors, Percent with Caries in Permanent Teeth

Prevalence of caries in permanent teeth (DMFT) among seniors 65 and older years of age, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004

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 dental caries in seniors.

Table 2: Percent of Seniors with Untreated Decay in Permanent Teeth

Prevalence of untreated decay in permanent teeth (DT) among seniors 65 and older years of age, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004

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 dental caries in Seniors.

Table 3: Seniors, Permanent Teeth, Severity of Decay Measured by Tooth

Mean number of decayed, filled, and decayed or filled permanent teeth among seniors 65 and older years of age, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004

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 dental caries in seniors.

Table 4: Seniors, Permanent Teeth, Severity of Decay Measured by Tooth Surface

Mean number of decayed, filled, and decayed or filled permanent tooth surfaces among seniors 65 and older years of age, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004

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 dental caries in seniors.