Tooth Decay (dental caries)
in Permanent (Adult) Teeth
Note: Approximately
5% of adults age 20 to 64 have no teeth. This survey applies only to those
adults who have teeth.
Tooth Decay (dental caries), both
treated and untreated, in all adults age 20 to 64 declined from the early
1970s until the most recent (1999-2004) National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey. The decrease was significant in all population
subgroups. In spite of this decline, significant disparities are still found
in some population groups.
Prevalence
Unmet Needs
-
23% of adults 20 to
64 have untreated decay.
-
Black and Hispanic
adults, younger adults, and those with lower incomes and less education
have more untreated decay.
Severity
-
Adults 20 to 64 have
an average of 3.28 decayed or missing permanent teeth and 13.65 decayed
and missing permanent surfaces.
-
Hispanic subgroups
and those with lower incomes have more severe decay in permanent teeth.
-
Black and Hispanic
subgroups and those with lower incomes have more untreated permanent
teeth.
Units of Measure:
Tooth Decay (dental caries) is measured by a dentist examining a person’s teeth, and
recording the ones with untreated tooth decay and the ones with fillings.
This provides three important numbers:
-
FT
(filled teeth): this is the number of decayed teeth that have been
treated, which indicates access to dental care;
-
DMT
(decayed and missing teeth): this is the number decayed and missing
teeth that have not been treated, which measures unmet need; and
-
DMFT
(decayed, missing, and filled teeth): this is the sum of DMT and FT, and
is the measure of person’s total lifetime tooth decay.
In addition to counting
decayed and filled teeth, this same information can be
gathered at the tooth surface level. Since every tooth has
multiple surfaces, counting the decayed or filled surfaces provides a more
accurate measure of the severity of decay.