Did you know that there are more dental hygienists (20,900) than dentists (19,200) in Canada?

Did you know that there are 2,200 denturists?

And 300 dental therapists?

Did you know that there are only 47 specialists, 66 clinical dentists, 152 dental therapists and 453 dental hygienists in the public service, representing 0.017 percent of the dental workforce?

“The results from the Oral Health Component of the CHMS demonstrate that, overall, Canadians have very good oral health:

―Three of every four Canadians visit a dental professional annually.

―Two out of every three Canadians with natural teeth do not need

    dental treatment.

“There is always room for improvement. Results from the survey indicate that 17 percent of Canadians report that they did not make an appointment to see a dental professional due to the cost in the past 12 months. In another question from the survey, 16 percent responded that they avoided getting all their recommended treatment done due to the cost in the past year.”

Yet, did you know that, despite that overall good level of oral health, 4.4 percent (1,490,280) of the population ages 40-59 is edentulous, accelerating to 21.7 percent (7,349,790) by ages 60-79?  Hmmmmm.*

All this and much more in the Canadian [Oral] Health Measures Survey.

Click here for the Summary Report, and/or here for the Full Report.

* Comparable figures in the United States: Edentulism in 45-64 year-olds, 10 percent; in 65-74 year-olds, 25 percent.

[From the 1998 National Health Interview Survey, National Center for Health Statistics]