Elderly Americans are losing less teeth than in previous decades

While the prevailing cliché may be of old people reaching for a glass of water at night in which to deposit their dentures, the reality is that increasing numbers of them are holding onto their own teeth.

A new study from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), cited in the Dental Tribune, has found that adults aged 50 and over are retaining more of their teeth as they age, resulting in the need for more regular oral health care and prevention services.

The researchers combed through data from 1999-2004 and 2009-2014 sourced from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, finding in the process that adults experiencing edentulism has declined from 17 percent to 11 percent with a corresponding ride in tooth retention from 14 percent to 21 percent.

While this is definitely good news on a number of fronts, not least because keeping your teeth has a significantly positive effect on quality of life, it does mean that greater attention needs to be paid to ensuring people have access to oral health services and are educated on the preventative measures need to keep their teeth and gums healthy.

The study does, however, make the point that there is a disparity between tooth retention in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white people, where this is highest, and poorer black people who experiences comparatively higher rates of tooth loss.

/ADA Public Release. View in full here.