• As of 2019, 64.9% of US adults had visited the dentist in the past year.
• As of 2017, the most recent year available, 84.9% of US children had visited the dentist in the past year.
•  53% of US adults over the age of 65 have dental insurance.
• Approximately 33.9% of US adults do not have dental insurance.
• In 2018, $54.9 billion was spent out-of-pocket on dental services in the US. This compares to $62.2 billion paid from private insurers.
• Because many people do not have dental insurance, the number of visits to an emergency department for dental care has doubled.
• It is estimated that over $2 billion per year is spent on emergency dental care for otherwise preventable conditions, due to lack of regular dental care.
• Some top reasons people avoid the dentist include fear of the pain or procedures, lack of insurance, shame from not going for a long period, and simply feeling like they don't need to because they don't have any current dental issues.
• Currently, COVID-19 is also causing people to avoid the dentist for routine visits, especially as the World Health Organization released a statement recommending these non-emergency visits be postponed.

Summary