In Nebraska, data for children covered by Medicaid indicate that in fiscal year 1993 only four percent of these children had protective sealants age-appropriately applied to their permanent molar teeth. Among the general population of school-aged children in the state, screening data indicate that nine percent have one or more sealants on their teeth. Periodontal Disease Gingivitis and periodontitis, diseases that involve the supporting tissue of teeth, affect nearly half of all employed Americans aged 18 through 64. Untreated periodontal disease can lead to loose teeth, decreased ability to chew or speak, and tooth loss. Tooth Loss More than 17 million people in the United States have lost all their teeth from untreated dental caries or periodontal disease.
Tooth loss can worsen existing medical problems and contribute to psychosocial difficulties.
Even if lost teeth are replaced with dentures, there are limitations in chewing ability, speech and overall quality of life. The proportion of persons who have lost all of their teeth increases substantially after age 45. People with low incomes are also more likely to have retained none of their teeth. In 1992, an estimated 30,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancer were diagnosed and more than 8,000 occurred due to this disease. In Nebraska, there were an average of 43 deaths per year during the five-year period 1989 through 1993.