Veterans Are More Likely to Lose Teeth, Suffer Pain, and Struggle to Access Regular Dental Care
The men and women who have served our country deserve to live the rest of their lives with dignity and pride. But when it comes to oral health, America is not living up to its obligations to its veterans: Of more than 9 million veterans who are eligible for medical care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), only 26% are eligible for dental care.
View visual report
A visual report from CareQuest Institute, based on the State of Oral Health Equity in America survey, shows that veterans are struggling with unmet oral health needs. Key findings include:
- Older US veterans are much more likely to have had at least six teeth removed (31%) than older nonveterans (20%).
- Veterans are more than twice as likely (7.7%) as nonveterans (3.0%) to seek care at a hospital emergency department (ED) for an oral health condition.
- Older veterans are more likely to have other chronic health conditions (53%) compared to older nonveterans (47%). Conditions like diabetes and heart disease can be worsened by poor oral health.
- Younger veterans (ages 18-59) are less likely to have seen a dental provider (65%) in the past year than older veterans (72%).
This report shows the importance of ensuring veterans have access to the care they need and deserve.
You may also be interested in:
- Veterans Need Affordable Dental Care, a fact sheet highlighting the health risks and financial burdens veterans face in accessing dental care, and policy solutions to strengthen dental access for veterans.
- Oral Health Is Essential to Veteran Productivity and Well-Being, a report exploring the lost productivity due to oral health problems experienced by 600,000 veterans in a single year.
- Veteran Oral Health Data Dashboard, a website with local, state, and national veteran oral health data for use in advocacy and policy change efforts.