As we strive to promote good oral health here at Northeast Delta Dental, I’m always encouraged to see how claims for preventive treatment continue to rise. But data from a recent survey suggests there is more room for education in certain areas.
According to new research, nearly all adults consider oral health to be very important to overall health, but very few understand how. Delta Dental’s 2022 State of America’s Oral Health and Wellness Report finds that a significant number of respondents were unable to recognize medical conditions that are linked to poor oral health, including strokes, blood pressure and diabetes.
The good news is that most adults (90%) want to learn more about oral health’s critical connection to overall health. More good news:
- Most children (89%) and adults (72%) went to the dentist last year.
- This year, significantly fewer parents report that their children are experiencing or have experienced oral health issues compared to surveys from the previous two years, which could correlate to the finding that significantly more children visited their dentist for preventive reasons in 2021 (92%) than the year before (81% in 2020).
- Nearly all (94%) adults plan to visit the dentist this year.
It’s heartening to see that the overwhelming majority of adults understand how important oral health is to overall health. But, as a leading provider of dental benefits in the tri-state area, it is our duty to increase awareness of specific ways that oral health is linked to serious health issues.
Everyone deserves a healthy smile and a healthy life.