Maintaining your oral health goes beyond achieving a bright smile as dental health has been widely linked to your overall health by dental and medical experts. A healthy smile can help ensure a healthy life for you and your family. 

Did You Know...

  • Nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of periodontal (gum) disease and don't know it.1

  • Gum disease has been linked to life-threatening diseases such as oral cancer, heart disease, diabetes and respiratory ailments.1

  • Routine dental checkups can discover skin diseases, mental illness, diabetes, thyroid problems, leukemia, cancer or hardening of the arteries in their early stages.2

  • Tooth decay is the single most chronic childhood disease - five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. 3

  • More than 34,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year and the death rate for oral cancer is higher than that of cervical cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, thyroid cancer and skin cancer. 4

  • Over 20 million workdays are lost each year due to dental illness. 5

  • 50% of Americans do not receive regular oral health care. 1

  • Women with periodontal disease are at three to five times greater risk of preterm birth than those who are periodontally healthy. 1

 

1  According to the American Dental Hygienists' Association (2008).
2  Gustin, K.M. (2006, Dec.). Discussing dental. National Provisioner. 220(12). 26-29.
3  Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General (September 2000).
4  Robbins, McLean (2008, April). Brushing up on oral cancer. Employee Benefit News.
5  Source: National Association of Dental Plans (NADP).