Demographics of Missing Teeth

Approximately 100 million Americans are missing one or more teeth, with close to 37 million of these individuals missing all their teeth in one or both jaws. All too often they are suffering in silence.

Studies reveal that individuals who lose their teeth experience emotional effects, such as altered self image and behavior in socializing, and lower self confidence. Health consequences include premature aging and a lower overall nutritional state due to an inability to eat a proper balanced diet – particularly prevalent with denture wearers.

The absence of teeth, or edentulism, is often thought to be an elderly person’s problem (16.9% of those over 65 years of age in California are fully edentulous ), however a recent study showed that approximately 29% of the 37 million edentulous Americans are between the ages of 34 – 54.

J.Fiske, et al, The emotional effects of tooth loss in edentulous people, British Journal, Vol 184, No. 2, January 24, 1998; Hartsook, 1974; Wayler and Chauncey, 1983; Chauncy et al., 1984; Sheihan et al., 2001 US Department of Health & Human Services Chester W. Douglass, DMD, PhD, et al, “The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, January 2002