A new study reveals that one third of American adults have not been to the dentist in the past year. This is despite dentist recommendations to get a checkup every six months to a year.
The survey by Gallup reveals some interesting insights into American dental care. The number of adults who went to see a dentist in the past year is unchanged from the number in 2008, indicating no big change in American dental habits. The survey also showed that women were more likely to have visited the dentist than men. There were some demographic differences by ethnic group as well, as about seventy percent of white and Asian respondents reported going to the dentist in the past year, in contrast with only about fifty-five percent of black and Hispanic respondents. There were no obvious reasons for this disparity, but economic or cultural differences between the groups could be playing a role.
There were some differences by age as well. Adults under thirty were least likely to have visited the dentist, but only slightly less than middle-aged adults. Seniors are visiting the dentist more, but this is offset by a slight decline in middle-aged respondents who had been to a dentist. This seems to suggest that while the so-called Baby Boomer generation is more in-tune with their oral health than their parents, younger generations appear to be less concerned.
The survey also found that married respondents were more likely to visit a dentist than non-married respondents. This could possibly be attributed to a nagging spouse or one spouse setting up appointments for the entire family.
By far the statistics that stood out most in the survey were the differences between high-income and low-income dental patients. The survey showed that someone who made over $120,000 per year was twice as likely to visit a dentist than someone who made only $12,000 per year. Since 2008, the percentage of high-income respondents visiting a dentist remained unchanged, although the number of middle-income and low-income dental visits declined. This is not surprising given the poor economy in recent years. Dental care can be expensive, and it is often seen as a luxury to families who are struggling to put food on the table and pay their regular bills. Often they will only visit a dentist when there is an emergency, instead of going for an annual check-up and preventative care.
Since dentists recommend a checkup at least once a year, they are concerned about the one third of American adults who have not been to see their Dentist lately. Researchers have recently linked poor oral health to other problems such as heart disease and stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and even preterm births. In some cases, such as heart disease and stroke, scientists believe that these problems occur when oral bacteria is dislodged and enters the bloodstream. A proper dental cleaning on a regular basis could help prevent such serious medical issues.
Although economic factors keep some patients away from the dentist, others are just not aware of the importance of proper dental care for their overall health. “Public education could help here,” says Victoria Martin of Clinical Optimization, a company that provides web hosting and search engine optimization services to dentists and other health professionals. “Dentists need to spread the word about just how important those annual dental visits are, not just for keeping your teeth white, but to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.”
Since the number of American adults visiting the dentist has not changed significantly since 2008, more needs to be done to educate the public on the importance of their annual dental checkup, and to ensure that people have better access to dental care. Some believe that better access to dental insurance will help.
Source: http://jilard.com/many-americans-not-getting-proper-dental-care/287652/
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