Total Health Facts

Dental Office: The Front Line of Health

• Each year nearly 20 million Americans who see their dentist do Not see a physician.
• The average physician visit lasts between 10 and 20 minutes, giving patients much less time with health care providers than dentists.
• Patients should visit the dentist twice a year, at least, but often see a physician once a year or less

Periodontal Disease

• Approximately 78% of the adult U.S. population has peridontal disease.
• Less than 3% of those with periodontal disease receive treatment.
• Health care costs are 21% higher for patients with severe periodontal disease than those with no periodontal disease.
• Periodontal disease is linked to the following health conditions:  

           Birth of premature low-birth-weight babies causes 20,000 infant deaths each year
           Pancreatic cancer causes 38,000 deaths each year.
           Coronary artery disease contributes to 445,000 deaths each year.
           Diabetes contributes to 230,000 deaths each year.
Oral Cancer

• 36,000 new cases of oral cancer are diagnosed each year.
• Only half the people diagnosed with oral cancer are alive in 5 years.
• One person dies every hour from oral cancer.
• When discovered in early stages, the oral cancer survival rate leaps to 80%-90%.
• When surveyed, only 15% of patients who went to the dentist reported receiving an oral cancer exam.
• More than 20 million people in the United States are infected HPV and there are approximately 6 million new cases each year.
• Studies suggest that 15%-25% of oropharyngeal cancer cases are associated with HPV16.

Sleep Disorders

• 50-70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disorders.
• Reducing sleep from 7 hours to 5 doubles the risk of cardiovascular death.
• An estimated 18 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea.
• 80%-90% of sleep apnea suffers remain undiagnosed and untreated.
• Moderate sleep apnea increases the risk of death by 17%. Severe sleep apnea increases the risk of death by up to 46%.

Heart Disease

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women.
• Forgetting to brush twice a day raises your risk of heart disease by 70%.
• Men and women with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease as those without.
• Periodontal disease can exacerbate existing heart conditions.

Diabetes

• Diabetes contributes to approximately 230,000 deaths each year.
• 95% of Americans with diabetes have periodontal disease.
• Periodontal disease makes it more difficult for diabetics to control their blood sugars, which can lead to health complications.
• Not only are diabetics more likely to have periodontal disease, but periodontal patients are also more likely to develop diabetes.