Dental Statistics (Canada & Worldwide)

On this page, we keep a record of interesting dental statistics that we come across when researching various topics.

These are mainly statistics about the US, but we have also included some that apply globally.

We only reference reliable sources, and credit them after each statistic.

Sometimes the original source may be deleted from the internet, in which case we keep a record here but include a caveat that the original page was deleted.

If you’ve come across any research that you think would be interesting to us, please get in touch here and we will consider it for inclusion.

Teeth Brushing Statistics

  • 53% of people brush twice a day. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 35% brush with a fluoride toothpaste for 2 minutes. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 39% brush their tongue regularly, meaning 61% are not. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 33% of Italians, Argentinians, Britons said they never forget to brush their teeth. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 45% of Indonesians say they forget to brush their teeth. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • Indonesians are the worst at cleaning between their teeth with just 12% doing this regularly. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 37.5 of Canadians brush both their teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day (Statistics Canada, 2018)
  • 78.3% of Canadians aged 12 and older brush their teeth at least two times per day (Satistics Canada, 2018)
  • 43% of Canadians floss daily (Satistics Canada, 2018)
  • 3 out of 4 millennial's only brush their teeth once a day (Delta Dental, 2018)
  • 4 in 10 people (42%) do not change their toothbrush /brush head every 3 months (Electric Teeth, 2018†)
  • A quarter of people (26%) change their toothbrush / brush head every 6 months (Electric Teeth, 2018†)
  • More than half of people asked (57%) experience tooth sensitivity (Electric Teeth, 2017†)

Tooth Decay Statistics

Children

  • 57% of 6-11 year olds have or have had a cavity. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • 59% of 12-19 year olds have or have had a cavity. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • The average number of teeth affected by decay in children aged 6-11 and 12-19 year olds is 2.5. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • 32% of children aged 6-11 have one or more sealants. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • Globally 44% of children drink soft drinks every day (Global Nutrition Report, 2018)

Adults

  • 50% of people have between 1-10 fillings (does vary by country).(Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • Japanese have the most fillings with over two-thirds having one and 20% having 5 or more. (Sunstar Global, 2021)

Electric Toothbrush Statistics

  • The electric toothbrush market worldwide will be worth US $3.2 billion by 2025, a growth of US $1.8 billion from 2019. (Global Industry Analysts, 2019)
  • The global annual revenue estimated to be generated by electric toothbrush sales is $3.5billion (Future Market Insights, March 2019)
  • Just under half (49%) of people own an electric toothbrush (Electric Teeth, 2017†)
  • Only one third of people (36%) regard price as the most important factor when choosing an electric toothbrush (Electric Teeth, 2017†)
  • Just over one in ten people (11%) say their ideal price range is less than £25/$30 (Electric Teeth, 2017†)
  • 18% of people are willing to pay more than £100/$130 for an electric toothbrush (Electric Teeth, 2017†)
  • Almost two thirds of people (64%) would like to be able to connect their toothbrush to their phone (Electric Teeth, 2017†)

Dental Visit Statistics

  • Germans visit the dentist most with 45% attending twice a year. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 74.7% of Canadians saw a dental professional in 2018 (Statistics Canada, 2018)
  • 22.4% of Canadians (roughly 6.8 million people) avoid going to the dentist, as a result of the cost (Statistics Canada, 2018)
  • Approximately 85.7% of Canadians visit a dentist within a 2-year period (Health Canada, 2010)
  • 13% of parents with children aged 18 or under took their child to the dentist before their first birthday, the recommended age for a first dental visit with 20% never having taken them (World Dental Federation, 2018)

General Dental Health Statistics

  • 81% of Mexicans take dental advice from their dentist – the highest worldwide. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 30% of people are troubled by tooth sensitivity. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • Globally, by 2025 the value of the oral health products market is anticipated to be worth US $33.7 billion. (PR Newswire, 2019)
  • An estimated 2.26 million school-days and 4.15 million working-days are lost annually due to dental visits or dental sick-days. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • 6% of adult Canadians no longer have any natural teeth. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • 64.6% of Canadians have dental insurance to cover part or all of their expenses (Satistics Canada, 2018)
  • Those without dental insurance (39.1%) are 3 times as likely as those with insurance (13.7%) to avoid seeing a dental professional because of the cost (Statistics Canada, 2018)
  • 3.5 billion people globally suffer from oral diseases (World Dental Federation, 2018)

Gum Disease Statistics

  • 7 in 10 Canadians will develop gum disease at some point in their lives (Candian Dental Association)
  • An estimated 20% of the Candian population have active periodontal disease and do not know it (Canada.com)
  • 21% of adults with teeth have, or have had, a moderate or a severe periodontal (gum) problem. (Canadian Health Measures Survey, 2007-2009)
  • Those suffering from sadness, helplessness and other symptoms of depression, are almost 20% more likely to also have severe gum disease (Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 2018)
  • Gum disease affects up to 50% of the adult population worldwide (World Dental Federation, 2018)

Teeth Whitening Statistics

  • Tooth whitening is the most desirable dental treatment people with 41% of people. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • 28% of Mexicans have done home teeth bleaching using household bleach. (Sunstar Global, 2021)
  • Globally, the teeth whitening market is expected to grow by a compound annual growth rate of over 4% (Arizton, 2019)
  • By 2027, the global teeth whitening market is projected to be worth $8,4048.70 Mn (US) compared to $5,857.61 in 2018. (The Insight Partners, 2019)
  • The global teeth whitening products market was valued at USD 5.56 billion in 2016, with an estimated value of USD 7.40 billion by 2024 (Hexa Research, 2017)

Sugar Statistics

  • Young people are 33% more likely to eat sugary foods and significantly more likely (39%) to have decaying teeth, if there watch over and 90 minutes of TV per day. (Department of Pediatric Dentistry Clinic, Aplicacao School of Federal University of Para - UFPA, Belem, Para, Brazil, 2019)
  • 53% of children watching television for more than 90 minutes a day have some form of tooth decay. Youngsters who eat sugary foods while watching TV are also more than twice as likely to have decaying teeth than those who choose to avoid them. (Department of Pediatric Dentistry Clinic, Aplicacao School of Federal University of Para - UFPA, Belem, Para, Brazil, 2019)
  • A 12 fl. oz. Mountain Dew contains 46g of sugar, that is 3.83g per fl. oz. (Business Insider, 2017)
  • A 16 fl. oz. Rockstar Energy drink contains 60g of sugar, that is 3.75g per fl. oz. (Business Insider, 2017)
  • A 12 fl. oz. classic Coca-Cola contains 39g of sugar, that is 3.25g per fl. oz. (Business Insider, 2017)

† This is data that we have gathered ourselves by anonymously surveying a minimum of 1000 site visitors.