Dental Caries (Tooth Decay) in Seniors (Aged 65 and older)

Dental Caries in the Permanent (Adult) Teeth

Note: This survey applies only to those senior adults who have teeth. Approximately 17% of senior adults aged 65 years and older have no teeth.

Total dental caries, both treated and untreated, declined in adults ages 65 years and older from the early 1970s until 1999–2004, before it increased in the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2011–2016). The prevalence of untreated decay and severity of decay, however, has continued to decline despite significant disparities among some population groups.

Prevalence (Table 1)

• 96% of seniors have had decay in their teeth in 2011–2016, a 3 percentage point increase from 1999–2004.
• Whites and those with higher levels of education and incomes had a higher prevalence of decay than their peers.

Unmet Needs (Table 2)

• Although there was a significant decrease in untreated decay between 1999–2004 and 2011–2016, nearly 1 in 6 seniors had untreated decay.
• Blacks and Mexican Americans had more untreated decay than Whites.
• Those with lower incomes and less education and current smokers had more untreated decay than their peers.

Severity (Table 3)

• Older adults had an average of 17 teeth that were either decayed, filled, or missing in 2011–2016, compared to 18 teeth in 1999–2004.

Units of Measure: Dental caries is measured by a dentist examining a person’s teeth and recording the ones with untreated decay, ones that are missing, and the ones with fillings. This provides four important numbers:

• DT (decayed teeth): this is the number of decayed and missing teeth that have not been treated, which measures unmet need;
• MT (missing teeth): this is the number of missing teeth due to disease;
• FT (filled teeth): this is the number of decayed teeth that have been treated, which indicates access to dental care; 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.

Table 1. Percent of Seniors with Caries in the Permanent Teeth

Data Source: 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. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2019.

Table 2. Percent of Seniors with Untreated Decay in the Permanent Teeth

Data Source: 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. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2019.

Table 3. Seniors, Severity of Decay Measured by Number of Permanent Teeth Affected

Data Source: 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. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2019.