A recent study revealed that half of U.S. adults, age 30 or older, have periodontal disease.

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data for their national health and nutrition examination survey and found that 47.2% or 64.7 million Americans have some form of periodontal disease.

In adults older than 65 the numbers jumps to 70%.  The disease is more common in men than in women.

The rates are also higher in smokers, those living below the federal poverty level and those with less than a high school education.

With this new data, we now know that periodontal disease is one of the most prevalent non-contagious chronic diseases in our population, similar to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Unlike cardiovascular disease and diabetes, periodontal disease is painless and therefore often goes undiagnosed for years, until such time that the disease has advanced to the point that patients begin to have symptoms.