32% of Americans cite bad breath as the least attractive trait of their co-workers.

38.5 total days an average American spends brushing teeth over lifetime.

73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss.

 32% of Americans cite bad breath as the least attractive trait of their co-workers.

60% of people who don’t know that a sore jaw, when combined with chest pain, can signal a heart attack-especially in women

38.5 = the total days an average American spends brushing teeth over a lifetime.

 73% of Americans would rather go grocery shopping than floss.

 Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

 A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans.

 Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum

The number of cavities in the average mouth is down and people are keeping their teeth longer.   People, on average, have healthier mouths than even 10 years ago.  Specifically:

—The decline in tooth decay was greatest among kids but holds across every age group. 
—Only 40% of  young people age 6 to 19 had ever in their lives had cavities.  That’s down from 50% a decade ago.
—Over the last ten years the proportion of people age 60 who’d lost all their teeth had decreased from 33% to 25%.
—Use of dental sealants, which block tooth decay on the chewing surfaces of kids’ vulnerable molars, was up 64%.  30% of kids had had at least one sealed tooth.
—Adults with post-high-school degrees had an average of three more teeth than those without a high school diploma.
—Smokers remain three times more likely than non-smokers to lose all their teeth.  This figure has not changed from a decade ago.
—Socio-economic status plays a definite role in one’s general and dental health….33% of low-income adults have untreated decay.  This compared with 16% of middle- and higher-income adults.  19% of kids living in poverty have untreated decay compared with 8% of wealthier kids. CDC & ADA 1/06

ADA video news releases: Visit ADA org: Video

More people use blue toothbrushes than red ones.

Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different 

The average toothbrush contains about 2,5000 bristles grouped into about 40 tufts per toothbrush.  The tufts are folded over a metal staple and forced onto pre-cored holes in the head and fused into the head with heat.  The handle is made of at least two materials, usually plastic and rubber.  The grips used for the handle is: precision, power, spoon, oblique and distal oblique. AGD Impact 2/2003

The average woman smiles about 62 times a day!
A man?  Only 8!
Kids laugh around 400 times a day.
Grown-ups just 15:-(
Smilers in school yearbooks are more likely to have successful careers and marriages than poker faced peers

According to a 1997 Gallup Poll, dentistry is the fifth most trusted profession in America. Another recent Gallup Poll indicated that dentists generally get high marks from consumers for their interpersonal skills and delivery of quality care.

 A survey by Louis Harris and Associates reported that 83 percent of American adults were very satisfied with services received from their dentists. A recent Gallup Poll also reported that 92 percent or the respondents stated that they would recommend their dentist to someone else.
IDF  Joseph Chamberlain, D.D.S

Tooth decay remains the most common chronic disease among children ages 5-17 with 59% affected.

More than 51 million hours of school are lost each year by children due to dental related illness.

Employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to oral health problems or dental visits.

Just 40% of children in poor or near-poor poverty level had a preventive dental visit in the past year.

44% of dental care expenditures are paid out-of-pocket.
Source: Issue Briefs on Challenges for the 21st Century: Chronic and Disabling Conditions

How people take care of their mouths is often a reflection about how they feel about themselves.  At  birth the only fully developed organ is the tongue.  It is needed for sucking.  For the first two months of life our mouth is our primary organ.  We use for survival,  expressing ourselves and to explore our new world.  consequently it
is very significant in our unconscious.  Because of this it is my opinion that how we take care of our mouths is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves.  People who feel good about themselves take good care of their mouth and people who have a poor self image generally do not take good care of their mouth.  Marvin Mansky
 

Dentists rate big (61%) in ethics poll for honesty and trustworthy AGD Impact pg 8 March 2004.

Responding to the 2003 Lemelson-MIT Invention Index survey, 34 percent of teens and 42 percent of adults chose the toothbrush first when asked to select the invention they could not live without from among five choices. The other four: the personal computer, automobile, microwave and cellular phone.(2003)

The survey of 1,000 people in Britain asked a range of teeth-related questions. Almost half the men polled said they would have teeth- whitening treatment compared with 35% of women. Good teeth and a nice smile came second in the list of what females look for in men, after eyes. For men a good body was the important thing they look for, followed by eyes, hair, and teeth.

Royal smile -there is someone whose job includes squeezing Prince Charles’s toothpaste onto the royal toothbrush. That someone is Michael Fawcett, the prince’s personal valet. Since Fawcett is, according to various news reports, the only person Charles trusts with this awesome responsibility, one must presume that the heir to the throne’s dental hygiene declines precipitously whenever the valet goes on vacation. [MSNBC.com]

Americans spent nearly $2.025 billion on Halloween candy this year. That would fund the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research for almost six years. (ADA Nov 2002)

A poll conducted in Michigan showed that Republicans, Protestants & women brush their teeth more often than Democrats, Catholics & men. 2% of those polled said they don’t brush at all. Cited: RepConnect #13 June 2003

Flossed Facts:

• Year commercial floss was first manufactured: 1882 
• Material it was first made of: silk 
• Newest material: Gore-tex 
• Amount bought per person: 18 yards 
• Amount that should be bought per person: 122 yards (figuring one foot a day)
• Percent who say they floss daily: 28% (some are fibbing, according to the sales data above) 
• In 1994 a prison inmate in West Virginia braided floss into a rope, scaled the wall and escaped.

83% of people believe their teeth are more important to their appearance than hair and eyes, according to a recent survey conducted by Roper ASW in conjunction with ReachMax.
33% of Americans have untreated tooth decay. (CDC, 2002)

In children under age 16, regular brushing with fluoridated toothpaste results in 24 percent fewer cavities than does brushing with non-fluoridated toothpaste. (Cochrane.org)

Percent of Persons Ages 2-17 with a Dental Visit in the Past Year: 74.1% (2000) 
Percent of Persons Ages 18-64 with a Dental Visit in the Past Year: 65.3% (2000)
Percent of Persons Ages 65 and Over with a Dental Visit in the Past Year: 56.4% (2000)

People who drink 3 or more sugary sodas daily have 62% more dental decay, fillings and tooth loss

78% of Americans have had at least 1 cavity by age 17 (CDC, 2002)

90% of systemic disease have oral manifestations. (AGD, 2002)

You are not “to old for good dental care” the average 65 year old has 17.3 years of life remaining!

$1.8 Billion dollars is the total annual consumer spending on toothpaste. (ACNielsen, 2002) 

Colgate Palmolive Company now has 34.6% share of the US toothpaste market. Its recently introduced Simply White tooth-whitening product gained a 30% share of the at-home whitening market                        .

74% of Americans are affected by some type of periodontal  or gum disease or gingivitis. (AGD, 2002)

$775 Million dollars is the total annual consumer spending on toothbrushes. (ACNielsen, 2002)

$885 Million dollars if the total annual consumer spending on oral antiseptics/rinses. (ACNielsen, 2002)*

51 Million school hours per years are lost because of dental related illness. (Surgeon General David Satcher)

The most valuable tooth belonged to Sir Isaac Newton.  In 1816 one of his teeth was sold in London for $3,633.00 or in today’s terms $35,700.00  The tooth was set in a ring. (Source: Guinness World Records 2002)

Students ages 5-17 years missed 1,611,000 school days in 1996 due to acute dental problems-an average of 3.1 days per 100 students. (Surgeon General David Satcher)

People who drink 3 or more sugary sodas daily have 62% more dental decay, fillings and tooth loss.

Academy of General dentistry, the average person only brushes for 45 to 70 seconds a day, the recommended amount of time is 2-3 minutes.

Two ‘Fs’: Fluoride (use fluoride toothpaste daily) Frequency (avoid frequent snacking between meals)…..this is the “practical way to help avoid dental decay.

People with red hair are more sensitive to pain and consequently need more anesthetic during operations than other patients. Those with red hair needed 20 per cent more aesthetic to numb the pain, according to New Scientist. Oct 2002

Dentistry is affordable:
Dentistry:  $50 Billion
Pet food:  $50 Billion
Hair care:  $100 Billion
Gambling (legal):  $300 Billion

American sweet tooth… Did you know…Americans spent $21 billion on candy in 2001. That is more than the gross national products of Lituania, Costa Rica and Mozambique combined. [Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 2002 November: 3]

$1.8 billion is the total annual consumer spending on toothpaste.

-33 is the percentage of Americans who have untreated tooth decay.

-$777 million is the total annual consumer spending on toothbrushes.

-74 is the percentage of Americans affected by some type of periodontal disease or gingivitis.

Sugar Facts: Chemical manufacturers use sugar to grow penicillin A teaspoon of sugar after a hot curry will extinguish the furnace in your mouth A spoonful of sugar added to a vase will prolong the life of freshly cut flowers

More than 300 types of bacteria make up dental plaque.

Earliest Known Dental Work A total of 11 teeth from 9 adults who lived between 7,500 and 9,000 years ago contain holes drilled with sharpened flint points, according to a report in Science News Online. Flint-wielding specialists drilled holes, which are believed to have been filled with some type of material. The teeth came from residents of a prehistoric farming village called Mahrgarh in what is now Pakistan. (Source: Coppa, A., D.W. Frayer, R. Macchiarelli, 2006, Early Neolithic tradition of dentistry. Nature 440 (April 6):755-756

For an infant, the mouth is an exquisitely sensitive portal connecting the world around him to his developing mind and body. He uses his mouth to meet his mother, to sate his constant hunger, to comfort himself between feedings, and to explore objects in the widening world around him. When hard teeth begin protruding into this soft, sensitive orifice, it is a major event in the life of an infant.

Many parents worry about the timing of the appearance of their children’s teeth. While the average time for the appearance of the first teeth is between five and seven months of age, there is a wide normal variation of timing. The teeth might come in as early as one month of age, or they might wait until a child is almost one-and-a-half-years old. Anywhere in this range can be normal.

Generally lower teeth come in before upper teeth, and generally girls’ teeth erupt earlier than those of boys (much like with everything else). Delayed eruption of all teeth may be the result of a nutritional problem, such as rickets, or a systemic condition, such as hypopituitarism or hypothyroidism.

Natal teeth or teeth present at birth are found in about one out of two thousand newborn infants. These are often extra teeth, but this should be confirmed radiographically before any attempt is made to remove them. Natal teeth may cause pain to the infant, poor feeding, and, if the baby is nursing, maternal discomfort. Natal teeth may also cause damage or even amputation of the tip of the newborn’s tongue due to strong sucking behavior.
Early appearance of all teeth may indicate a hormonal problem such as hyperthyroidism.

The following tables outline the normal ranges for teeth to erupt and to shed:

Eruption of Primary or Deciduous Teeth

Shedding of Primary or Deciduous Teeth

Eruption of Permanent Teeth

(Adapted from chart prepared by PK Losch, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, from Nelson’s Textbook of Pediatrics.)

If a permanent tooth becomes visible before the primary tooth above it has fallen out, generally the primary tooth should be extracted.

Source: http://www.drgreene.com/qa/baby-teeth

Dental sealants are commonly placed on children’s molars as soon as they erupt. But what are they, do my children need them and are they safe?

Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings that are applied to the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to protect them from tooth decay. Most tooth decay in children and teens occurs on these surfaces. Sealants protect the chewing surfaces from tooth decay by keeping germs and food particles out of these grooves. To properly place a sealant a dentist must be able to keep the tooth dry. So, at a minimum, this means that the chewing surface of the tooth being sealed must be erupted (fully positioned through the gums), and also that the patient is at an age where they can provide some degree of cooperation. The specific age at which this combination of events occurs will vary from child to child. An adult’s teeth can be sealed, although this procedure is typically utilized as a preventive measure for children so to help protect their teeth during those years when they are most likely to experience tooth decay.

Not everyone needs dental sealants. After an examination your dentist can report to you what they feel is indicated for you or for your child. It is the shape of their grooves (pits and fissures) that can place some teeth at greater risk for cavity formation than others. Those people whose grooves are deep and narrow will have a more urgent need for dental sealants than those people whose grooves are naturally shallow and rounded. It is possible that with some deep and narrow grooves the toothbrush can not reach to clean the tooth effectively. Beyond pit and fissure anatomy, your dentist will consider other variables that might indicate that a tooth is at risk for developing decay and thus a candidate for a sealant. They will evaluate the amount of dental plaque they find present, the amount of decay the patient has experienced in the past, and the patient’s current exposure to an appropriate amount of fluoride.

Permanent molars are the most likely to benefit from sealants. The first molars usually come into the mouth when a child is about 6 years old. Second molars appear at about age 12. It is best if the sealant is applied soon after the teeth have erupted, before they have a chance to decay. A sealant can last for as long as 5 to 10 years. Sealants should be checked at your regular dental appointment and can be reapplied if they are no longer in place.

A review study last fall by the Cochrane Collaboration, a group that evaluates medical research, found that 5- to 10-year-olds who used sealants had less than half the decay on biting surfaces five years after treatment than those who brushed regularly. But are they safe? Hermetically sealing a tooth may sound odd, but what has concerned researchers through the years is that dental sealants can contain the same chemicals that caused controversy when present in plastic baby bottles: bisphenol-A (BPA) or its chemical cousin, bisphenol-A dimethacrylate (BPA-DMA). Though still investigating, the FDA currently deems these compounds safe, but some researchers have impugned them in everything from diabetes, cancer and – most alarming for children – to accelerating the onset of puberty due to estrogen-like effects. The experts are still debating the safety of dental sealants. Ultimately it would have to be decision that you make with your child and dentist.(sources:http://www.animated-teeth.com/tooth_sealants/t2_dental_sealants.htm,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-horowitz/dueling-docs-are-dental-s_b_314729.html,http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/factsheets/sealants_faq.htm)

Most people know how food affects our bodies as far as fat content and calories; but many do not realize what one bite of food does as it touches our teeth. We have all been told that too much candy can hurt our teeth, but it is much more than that.

 As you take a bite of food it is met in your mouth by bacteria, plaque being the most prevalent. The bacteria love sugary foods and this is not limited to candy. Food such as fruits, milk, bread, cereals and even vegetables all contain sugars. So when you don’t clean your teeth immediately after eating, the bacteria turns the sugars into acids that can destroy your enamel and eventually lead to tooth decay.  The more often you eat or snack and the longer foods are held in your mouth the more damage occurs.

 Here are a few tips to keep in mind for better oral health:  Eat a balanced diet and limit your snacks because each time you eat, the acids can attack your teeth for twenty minutes or more. Also, when choosing your snacks, try to reach for nutritious foods, such as cheese, raw vegetables, plain yogurt, or a piece of fruit. And, of course, brush and floss twice a day.

Source: http://www.ada.org/public/topics/diet_faq.asp

Many people think of periodontal disease as an adult problem. However, studies indicate that nearly all children and adolescents have gingivitis which is the first stage of periodontal disease.

There are several types of periodontal disease that children can get. Chronic gingivitis is common in children. It usually causes gum tissue to swell, turn red and bleed easily. Gingivitis is both preventable and treatable with a regular routine of brushing, flossing and professional dental care. However, left untreated, it can eventually advance to more serious forms of periodontal disease.

Aggressive periodontitis can affect young people who are otherwise healthy. Localized aggressive periodontitis is found in teenagers and young adults and mainly affects the first molars and incisors. It is characterized by the severe loss of alveolar bone, and ironically, patients generally form very little dental plaque or calculus.

Generalized aggressive periodontitis may begin around puberty and involve the entire mouth. It is marked by inflammation of the gums and heavy accumulations of plaque and calculus. Eventually it can cause the teeth to become loose.

Periodontitis associated with systemic disease occurs in children and adolescents as it does in adults. Conditions that make children more susceptible to periodontal disease include type I diabetes, down syndrome, kindler syndrome, papillon-Lefevre syndrome. For example, in a survey of 263 Type I diabetics, 11 to 18 years of age, 10 percent had overt periodontitis.

The four basic signs that will alert you to periodontal disease in your child are bleeding, puffiness, recession and bad breath.

It is possible for periodontal disease to be passed from parents to children and between couples. Researchers suggest that the bacteria which causes periodontal disease may be passed from one person to another though saliva. This means that the common contact of saliva in families puts children and couples at risk for contracting the periodontal disease of another family member. Genetics may also play a major role in the onset and severity of periodontal disease. Researchers found that Up to 30% of the population may be genetically susceptible to developing severe periodontal disease. Therefore, if one family member has periodontal disease, it is a good idea for all family members to see a dental professional for a periodontal disease screening.

Most gum disease in children can be prevented with the practice of proper oral hygiene. Kids need to brush their teeth daily with a kid-formula toothpaste that’s approved by the American Dental Association (ADA). Children under the age of five don’t have the small motor control they need to brush their teeth properly, so young children should have their teeth brushed once a day by an adult to make sure it’s done properly.

Getting kids to brush their teeth for the recommended two to three minutes can be a bit of a challenge, so Colgate World of Care suggests putting a timer in the bathroom, equipping kids with a toothbrush that has a timer built in, or having them brush their teeth to the length of a two to three minute song.

When young children have spaces between their teeth, they don’t need to worry about flossing. But once the gaps close and kids’ teeth start to touch, they should floss daily, preferably before bedtime, to remove bacteria causing food particles that lurk between the teeth.

Regularly scheduled dental visits are important to maintain the health of kids’ gums, and also for the early detection of oral health problems. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children visit the dentist twice a year. Parents should also check their child’s gums between dental visits to look for signs of periodontal disease.

Sources: http://early-childhood-development.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_prevent_gum_disease_in_children

www.perio.org/consumer/children.htm