A new report from Delta Dental shows that many Americans are not aware of the link between poor oral health and serious medical conditions.
Delta Dental released its 2022 "State of America's Oral Health and Wellness Report", a nationwide analysis of opinions and behaviors relating to oral health of U.S. adults and parents of children ages 12 and younger.
The report found that 92 percent of adults and 96 percent of parents consider oral health to be very, if not extremely, important to overall health. However, many were unaware of how oral and overall health are connected and were unable to recognize medical conditions linked to poor oral health, including stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Despite these statistics, 90 percent of adults indicated they were interested in learning about oral health's connection to overall health.
The report also found that 89 percent of children and 72 percent of adults visited the dentist in 2021. Fewer parents also reported that their children were experiencing or had experienced oral health issues compared to previous surveys. Also, 94 percent of adults plan to visit the dentist this year.