Caries statistics
Statistics on children and adults.
Statistics on childhood caries
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Although dental caries (tooth decay) is largely preventable, it remains the most common chronic disease of children aged 5-17 years - four times more common than asthma (42% versus 9.5%). (Reference)
According to the CDC:
- 28% of children ages 2-5 have already had decay in their primary (baby) teeth
- 50% of children have experienced tooth decay by age 11
- 68% of 19 year olds have experienced tooth decay in their permanent teeth. More than two-thirds!
- Low income children are twice as likely to experience decay than children of higher income families
- 52,000,000 school hours are lost each year due to dental disease
To see the percentage of 3rd graders in your state with caries experience, see the CDC list here.
Statistics on Caries in Adults
Many adults also have untreated dental caries...
- 27% of adults ages 20-39 years have untreated dental caries
- 21% of adults ages 40-59 years have untreated dental caries
- 19% of adults ages 60+ years have untreated dental caries
