Tooth Loss in Seniors

Overall, the prevalence of both partial and total tooth loss in seniors has decreased from the early 1970s until the latest (1999-2004) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In spite of this improvement, significant disparities remain in some population groups.

Tables 1 and 2 present information about tooth loss for seniors age 65 and over and for selected population groups.

Number of Teeth Remaining (Table 1)

Seniors over age 65 have an average of 18.90 remaining teeth.
Black seniors, current smokers, and those with lower incomes and less education have fewer remaining teeth.

Number of Adults with Total Tooth Loss (Table 2)

27.27% of seniors over age 65 have no remaining teeth
Older seniors, women, Black seniors, current smokers, and those with lower incomes and less education are more likely to have no remaining teeth.

Table 1: Seniors, Mean Number of Permanent Teeth Remaining

Mean number of permanent teeth among seniors over 65 years of age, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004
Characteristic	Mean Number of Permanent Teeth
*Age*
65 to 74 years	19.34
75 years or more	18.36
*Sex*
Male	19.03
Female	18.77
*Race and Ethnicity*
White, non-Hispanic	19.39
Black, non-Hispanic	15.19
Mexican American	18.15
*Poverty Status* Income compared to Federal Poverty Level)
Less than 100%	15.58
100% to 199%	16.99
Greater than 200%	20.08
*Education*
Less than High School	15.86
High School	18.10
More than High School	20.96
*Smoking History*
Current Smoker	15.39
Former Smoker	18.16
Never Smoked	19.91
*Overall*	18.90

Data Source: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has been an important source of information on oral health and dental care in the United States since the early 1970s. Tables 1 and 2 present the latest NHANES (collected between 1999 and 2004) data regarding tooth decay (dental caries) in children.

Table 2: Seniors, Percent with No Remaining Teeth

Mean percentage of seniors over 65 years of age with no remaining teeth, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004
Characteristic	Percentage with no Remaining Teeth
*Age*
65 to 74 years	23.93
75 years or more	31.30
*Sex*
Male	24.42
Female	29.30
*Race and Ethnicity*
White, non-Hispanic	26.12
Black, non-Hispanic	32.81
Mexican American	23.90
*Poverty Status* (Income compared to Federal Poverty Level)
Less than 100%	44.19
100% to 199%	36.61
Greater than 200%	17.25
*Education*
Less than High School	43.32
High School	28.28
More than High School	13.65
*Smoking History*
Current Smoker	49.69
Former Smoker	28.69
Never Smoked	21.72
*Overall*	27.27

Last Reviewed

July 2018