Tooth Loss in Seniors

Overall, the prevalence of both partial and total tooth loss in U.S. seniors has decreased from the early 1970s through the latest cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017–March 2020). Despite this improvement, significant health disparities in tooth loss remain in some population groups.

Tables 1 and 2 present information about tooth loss for seniors aged 65 years and older and for selected population groups in the United States.

Number of Teeth Remaining (Table 1)

Seniors 65 years and older have an average of 21 remaining teeth.
Older seniors (75 years or older), non-Hispanic Black and Mexican American seniors, those who currently smoke or previously smoked cigarettes, and those with lower levels of income and education have statistically significantly fewer remaining teeth.

Percentage of Seniors With Total Tooth Loss (Table 2)

About 15 % of seniors 65 years and older have no remaining natural teeth.
Older seniors, non-Hispanic Black seniors, those who currently smoke cigarettes, and those with lower levels of income and education are statistically significantly more likely to have no remaining teeth.

Table 1: Seniors, Mean Number of Permanent Teeth Remaining

Mean number of permanent teeth among seniors aged 65 years and older, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004, 2011–2016, and 2017–March 2020.
Characteristic	1999–2004		2011–2016		2017–March 2020
	Mean	SE	Mean	SE	Mean	SE
Total	18.9	0.22	20.7	0.22	20.9	0.27
Age (years)
65–74 (reference)	19.3	0.27	21.7	0.24	21.7	0.37
≥75	18.4	0.30	19.5*	0.31	19.8*	0.29
Sex
Male (reference)	19.0	0.29	20.8	0.29	20.7	0.36
Female	18.8	0.27	20.6	0.26	21.0	0.32
Race and ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic (reference)	19.4	0.24	21.6	0.24	21.7	0.36
Black, non-Hispanic	15.1	0.49	16.0*	0.46	16.2*	0.53
Mexican American	18.0	0.37	17.9*	0.49	19.7*	0.66
Poverty status
High poverty	15.6	0.77	16.0*	0.51	15.9*	0.90
Middle poverty	17.0	0.50	18.3*	0.38	18.2*	0.50
Low poverty (reference)	20.1	0.21	22.2	0.22	22.1	0.38
Poverty status
High and middle poverty combined	16.6	0.46	17.6*	0.33	17.6*	0.45
Low poverty (reference)	20.1	0.21	22.2	0.22	22.1	0.38
Education
<High school	15.9	0.39	16.9*	0.35	16.8*	0.62
High school	18.1	0.34	19.2*	0.34	19.3*	0.57
>High school (reference)	21.0	0.25	22.1	0.23	22.2	0.31
Cigarette smoking history
Current smoker	15.3	0.75	15.8*	0.75	16.3*	1.05
Former smoker	18.1	0.29	20.2*	0.32	20.2*	0.44
Never smoked (reference)	19.9	0.33	21.6	0.26	21.9	0.27

Table 2: Seniors, Percent with No Remaining Teeth

Mean percentage of seniors aged 65 years and older with no remaining teeth, by selected characteristics: United States, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004, 2011–2016, and 2017–March 2020.
Characteristic	1999–2004		2011–2016		2017–March 2020
	%	SE	%	SE	%	SE
Total	27.2	1.44	17.3	1.31	15.2	1.48
Age (years)
65–74 (reference)	24.0	1.53	13.0	1.30	11.4	1.76
≥75	31.2	1.83	22.5*	1.63	19.7*	1.95
Sex
Male (reference)	24.5	1.58	17.7	1.51	15.7	1.82
Female	29.2	1.61	16.9	1.31	14.7	1.59
Race and ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic (reference)	25.9	1.66	15.2	1.66	13.9	2.03
Black, non-Hispanic	33.7	2.47	30.7*	2.09	21.8*	3.17
Mexican American	24.4	2.56	16.7	1.89	15.9	2.73
Poverty status
High poverty	43.8	3.71	34.1*	2.99	29.8*	2.63
Middle poverty	36.1	2.14	26.1*	2.27	20.5*	2.44
Low poverty (reference)	17.3	1.27	10.7	1.30	11.8	2.28
Poverty status
High and middle poverty combined	38.4	1.91	28.6*	1.95	22.9*	1.86
Low poverty (reference)	17.3	1.27	10.7	1.30	11.8	2.28
Education
<High school	43.0	2.61	34.8*	2.12	33.4*	2.68
High school	28.3	2.36	21.3*	2.19	18.9*	2.77
>High school (reference)	13.6	1.09	9.3	1.06	8.8	1.21
Cigarette smoking history
Current smoker	49.7	3.20	42.8*	3.12	29.4*	3.9
Former smoker	28.8	1.96	18.5*	1.31	16.4	2.37
Never smoked (reference)	21.5	1.69	12.1	1.14	11.9	1.25

Note: All estimates are adjusted by age (5-year groups) to the U.S. 2000 standard population. Estimates are based on all U.S. race and ethnicity groups, except the estimates for specific race and ethnicity categories. NR = Not reported because the sample size is <30 or the standard error is >30% of the point estimate value. SE = standard error. Reference groups were used to test for statistical differences within sociodemographic characteristics.

* P <0.05 based on t-test for differences against the reference group.

^a Defined as the percentage of family income relative to the federal poverty level (FPL). High poverty = <100% FPL; middle poverty = 100%–199% FPL; high or middle poverty combined = <200% FPL; and low poverty = ≥200% FPL.

The 2017–March 2020 cycle was partially disrupted by COVID-19; data were released as a combined pre-pandemic dataset and may not be directly comparable to earlier continuous NHANES cycles.

Data sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oral Health Surveillance Report: Trends in Dental Caries and Sealants, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 1999–2004 to 2011–2016. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2019

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oral Health Surveillance Report: Dental Caries, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 2017–March 2020. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2024. [Accessed Date].

Last Reviewed
May 2026