Statistics Canada, in an effort to establish a baseline ahead of potential changes that could occur following the implementation of the Canadian Dental Care Plan, has published its first ever national survey dedicated to oral health in Canada. It found that over one in four Canadians – 26 per cent – are dealing with oral pain.
Based on data from the Canadian Oral Health Survey, conducted from November 2023 to March 2024, the release focuses on several indicators of oral health, including persistent mouth pain, toothlessness and other mouth problems that cause people to avoid certain foods.
Avoiding certain foods
“Adults aged 18 and older, 29 per cent were more than twice as likely as children and youth aged zero to 17, 14 per cent, to report mouth problems,” they write. “Among Canadian adults, 24 per cent reported persistent pain in their mouth and almost one in five, 18 per cent, reported avoiding certain foods.” In contrast, they add, only 11 per cent of children and youth experienced mouth pain, with just six per cent saying they avoid certain foods because of problems in their mouth.
The report also looks at toothlessness, which is highest among seniors and smokers. Four per cent of adults reported having lost all of their natural teeth.
The report also looked at groups which are at a higher risk of having oral pain and at the incidence of oral pain among different population groups: “46 per cent of people of all ages with disabilities reported experiencing persistent mouth paid or avoiding eating certain foods because of mouth problems, compared with 24 per cent of people of all ages without disabilities,” they write.
The report also found that 70 per cent of Canadians brush their teeth at least twice each day.
