Our Mission

SmileQuest Foundation 501c3 mission is to raise awareness to the importance of oral health to overall health.

SmileQuest Foundation 501c3 getting the word out

National "CALL to ACTION"

Millions of Americans Face Life Without Dental Care

May 2000: the first-ever Surgeon General's "Report on Oral Health"

identifies a silent epidemic of dental and oral diseases that burdens some population groups and calls for a national effort to improve oral health

among all Americans.

 

Spring 2003: the office of the Surgeon General issues a "National Call

to Action" to promote oral health. The U.S. Surgeon General, Richard S. Carmona, requested that dental professionals work together on a

community level to improve the oral health among the general population.

Oral Health for Adults

 

  • More older people are keeping their natural teeth than ever before. However, among those aged 65 years and over there are sharp differences by income, with those in poverty twice as likely as those with higher incomes to have lost all their teeth.
  • Many older Americans take medications for chronic conditions that have side effects detrimental to their oral health. These include antihistamines, diuretics, and antidepressants.
  • One-third of adults aged 65 years and over have untreated dental caries; slightly over 40 percent have periodontal disease.
  • Only 22 percent of older persons are covered by dental insurance; most elderly dental expenses are paid out-of-pocket.   

 

Information provided by CDC/NCHS data systems, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the Health Care Financing Administration, and the

U.S. Census Bureau.