Exploring the Importance of Dental and Vision Health
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Did you know...
About one in four adults have untreated tooth decay.1
An average of 320.8 million work or school hours were lost annually for dental care in the United States.2
Over 90% of Americans over age 20 have had cavities at some point in their lives.3
51 million school hours are missed each year because of dental-related illnesses.4
Researchers have found that people with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease.5
Gum disease has been linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease.6
Vision disability is one of the top 10 disabilities among adults 18 years and older and one of the most prevalent disabling conditions among children.7
90% of blindness caused by diabetes is preventable.7
Approximately 75% of American adults use some form of vision correction.8
An estimated 93 million adults in the United States are at high risk for serious vision loss, but only half visited an eye doctor in the past 12 months.7
A comprehensive eye exam can detect health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease and even brain tumors.9
Research shows that eye injuries are the most common cause of blindness in children.10
- 1 Griffin S, Barker L, Griffin P, Cleveland J, Kohn W. Oral health needs among adults in the United States with chronic diseases. J Am Dent Assoc. 2009;140(10);1266-1274.
- 2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hours Lost to Planned and Unplanned Dental Visits Among US Adults (2018) https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2018/17_0225.htm.
- 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oral Health Surveillance Report: Trends in Dental Caries and Sealants, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 1999–2004 to 2011–2016 (2019) https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/php/data-research/2019-oral-health-surveillance-report/index.html.
- 4 Impact of Poor Oral Health on Children's School Attendance and Performance (2011) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222359/.
- 5 National Library of Medicine, A cross-sectional survey to study the relationship of periodontal disease with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes mellitus (2016) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5341322/.
- 6 American Academy of Periodontology, Gum Disease and Other Diseases https://www.perio.org/for-patients/gum-disease-information/gum-disease-and-other-diseases/.
- 7 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fast Facts About Vision Loss https://www.cdc.gov/vision-health/data-research/vision-loss-facts/.
- 8 The Vision Council, VisionWatch Vision Correction and Frame Report https://thevisioncouncil.org/sites/default/files/assets/media/TVC_OrgOverview_sheet_2021.pdf.
- 9 American Academy of Ophthalmology, 20 Surprising Health Problems an Eye Exam Can Catch (2024) https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/surprising-health-conditions-eye-exam-detects.
- 10 American Academy of Ophthalmology, 20 Things to Know About Children's Eyes and Vision (2023) https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/tips-children-eyes-vision.