by ERIKA ALDRICH
Tooth and gum disease are important health considerations well beyond childhood, but they are not as high in our social health consciousness as they need to be. Since knowledge is power, knowing as much as possible about oral health can help you to decrease your chances of having cavities, losing teeth, developing periodontal disease, or being diagnosed with oral cancer. How much do you think you know about gum disease, cavities, tooth loss, and oral cancer? Take our quiz and chew on the facts and statistics within concerning tooth and gum diseases.
[toggles title=”What is the most common cause of tooth loss among adults?
A.) Injury
B.) Periodontal (Gum) Disease
C.) Oral Cancer
D.) Dental Caries (Cavities) “]B. Periodontal (Gum) Disease. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”True or False? The rate of moderate and severe periodontal disease—characterized by the loss of gums, jaw bone, and/or teeth—in adults and seniors has increased since 1970.”]False. The rates of moderate and severe periodontal disease in adults has decreased since the 1970s.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”Which of the following increase the dangers of having periodontal disease?
A.) Smoking
B.) Getting older
C.) Being male
D.) Poor oral routines
E.) All of the Above“]E. All of the Above. The risk of developing periodontal disease increases with age if you are male if you smoke, and if your oral health care routines are poor.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”Which of following is the largest, yet most preventable, chronic disease in both children and adults in the U.S.?
A.) Arthritis
B.) Cancer
C.) Dental Cavities
D.) Gum Disease “]C. Dental Cavities. Cavities, or dental caries, are the largest and most preventable chronic disease in both children and adults.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”Fill-in-the-Blank: The rate of cavities has significantly __________ for most Americans in the last 40 years, but that trend recently _________ for children.
A.) Increased; decreased
B.) Slowed; accelerated
C.) Increased; stalled
D.) Decreased; reversed“]D. Decreased; reversed. While the rate of adult cavities has decreased significantly since the 1970s, that decreasing trend has reversed recently for children.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”While tooth loss has decreased since the 1970s for adults over 65, what percentage of seniors are missing 100% of their teeth?
A.) 27%
B.) 36%
C.) 52%
D.) 79%“]A. 27%. Of the seniors over the age of 65 in the U.S., 27.27% of them are missing all of their teeth[/toggles]
[toggles title=”True or False? Elderly women are more likely than elderly men to suffer from tooth loss.”]True. Senior women are slightly more likely than men to have missing teeth; of seniors over the age of 65, men have 19.03 remaining teeth and women have 18.77 remaining teeth.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”
Approximately how many Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer every year?
A.) 37,600
B.) 49,700
C.) 55,400
D.) 68,300“]B. 49,700. Nearly 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with cancer of the mouth or pharynx—oral cancer—every year.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”Fill-in-the-blank: Since the mid-1970s, rates of oral cancer have _____________ by 15%, and the 5-year survival rate has ____________.
A.) Decreased; increased
B.) Increased; decreased
C.) Increased; increased
D.) Decreased; decreased“]C. Increased; increased. While the rate of oral cancer diagnoses has increased by 15% since the 1970s—likely through increased awareness and screening—the 5-year survival rate has also increased by 15% since the 1960s.[/toggles]
[toggles title=”At what age do oral cancer rates peak?
A.) Between 20 and 30
B.) Between 40 and 50
C.) Between 50 and 60
D.) Between 60 and 70
E.) None of the Above “]D. Between 60 and 70. The risk of developing oral cancer increases with age, peaking between the ages of 60 and 70.[/toggles]
Resources: Information provided by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
