New AAE survey finds nearly half of Americans aren’t investing in proper dental care

Forty percent of Gen Z respondents and 36 percent of millennials report that they always or often struggle to distinguish between myths and facts when reading about dental health online.

“Whether it’s because of financial constraints in these uncertain economic times or misinformation found online that cause irrational fears of dental procedures, many people are putting off going to the dentist until they have a problem with their teeth or oral health,” said Steven J. Katz, DDS, MS, president of the American Association of Endodontists. “The best way to preserve our natural teeth and keep them healthy as we age is to schedule routine preventative care with a dental professional and follow good oral health practices daily — namely brushing and flossing.”

Following are some highlights of the study.

Dental habits

• When it comes to good dental habits, the survey found that a vast majority of adults (86 percent) recognize the importance of flossing to preserve their natural teeth.
• Despite this knowledge, 58 percent of those surveyed reported that they do not floss their teeth every day.
• While the majority of adults (85 percent) said they would trust a dental professional for dental advice, 23 percent said they would trust a Google search for dental advice.
• Katz acknowledged that people have trouble deciphering fact from fiction when searching for oral health information online. Specifically, nearly one in three adults (30 percent) said that when reading about dental health online, they always or often struggle to distinguish between myths and facts.

Common dental trauma culprits

• Fear of losing or injuring their teeth is a real concern for most adults. Nearly three in four adults (74 percent) report that they are afraid of losing their natural teeth.
• 58 percent did not indicate that they believe it is possible to save a tooth that has been knocked out.
• Peoples’ fears about losing their teeth are not unfounded — more than 5 million teeth are knocked out every year in children and adults, with children under age 10 extremely susceptible to this injury.
• Another common source of tooth pain or injury is hard candy. The survey found that 85 percent of adults believe hard candy can have a detrimental effect on their teeth and/or cause dental injuries.
• However, a significantly less percentage of adults believe popcorn (44 percent) and nuts (37 percent) can pose similar dental problems. When asked if they have experienced a chipped tooth from eating hard food such as candy, nuts or popcorn, 49 percent of adults indicated they had and it caused them concern about the health of their teeth.

Getting to the root of dental procedures

When dental pain is severe, a patient may require a root canal to save their tooth. While root canals are often misunderstood because of online misinformation or patients’ overall misconceptions about the procedure, root canal treatment is an often straightforward procedure to relieve dental pain and save natural teeth. Patients typically need a root canal when there is inflammation or infection in the roots of a tooth. During root canal treatment, an endodontist who specializes in such treatment carefully removes the pulp inside the tooth, cleans, disinfects and shapes the root canals and places a filling to seal the space.

The survey found that 45 percent of adults say they have had a root canal, and 71 percent of adults who have undergone a root canal report they are glad they chose to have a root canal instead of a tooth extraction. In fact, tooth extractions evoke a strong negative reaction among those surveyed, with 29 percent indicating that they would rather get the flu than have a tooth extracted.

Younger generations susceptible tom

• Nearly half of Gen Z respondents (48 percent) and millennials (46 percent) say they are afraid of having a root canal, compared to only 38 percent of the overall sample.
• For many in this younger cohort that were surveyed, the fear of root canals comes from what they’ve seen online — with 40 percent of Gen Z respondents and 36 percent of millennials reporting that they always or often struggle to distinguish between myths and facts when reading about dental health online.

“We are concerned that fear and misinformation could be contributing to younger adults avoiding the dental chair, as nearly half of both Gen Z and millennial adults surveyed admitted to only going to the dentist when experiencing pain in their mouth,” said Katz. “People who do not get routine dental care are at risk for serious tooth decay, which can lead to overall health issues.”

About the American Association of Endodontists

The American Association of Endodontists is a dental specialty organization recognized by the American Dental Association and a global resource for knowledge, research and education for the profession, members and the public. Representing more than 8,000 members worldwide, endodontists are specialists in saving teeth and have additional training and use specialized techniques and technologies to perform root canal treatment and diagnosis and treat tooth pain. Patients can find an endodontist in their area by visiting the AAE website at Find My Endodontist - American Association of Endodontists.

About the survey

The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) commissioned Atomik Research, a research agency, to conduct an online survey of 1,019 adults throughout the United States. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between Feb. 19 and Feb. 27, 2025.

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