Self-reported oral health problems in the Canadian population living in the provinces, November 2023 to March 2024
Released: 2024-10-23
Oral health can have a real impact on quality of life, and over one in four Canadians (26%) are either dealing with oral pain or avoiding eating certain foods because of problems with their mouth. Some populations are more likely to report problems with their mouth than others, including seniors, those without dental insurance and people with disabilities.
These findings are based on data from the Canadian Oral Health Survey (COHS), the first-ever national survey dedicated to oral health in Canada. It covered Canadians of all ages living in the provinces and was conducted from November 2023 to March 2024. The COHS provides a key baseline for understanding Canadians' oral health, collecting demographic and behavioural data ahead of potential changes from the Canadian Dental Care Plan.
Oral health is a critical component of well-being, affecting physical and psychological health throughout people's lives. Previous findings from the COHS focused on recent dental visits, which play an important role in maintaining oral health. This release focuses on several indicators of oral health status, such as persistent mouth pain, toothlessness or other mouth problems that result in avoiding certain foods, which can have a significant impact on people's daily lives. Poor oral health may potentially affect their ability to function well enough to go to school or to work, may influence their ability to eat a proper diet, and consequently may have an impact on overall health. While this survey focuses on the self-reported experiences of Canadians, clinical measures of oral health—such as the prevalence of tooth decay—are currently being collected as part of Cycle 7 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey and will be available at a later date.
Almost one in four adults experience persistent pain in their mouth
Adults aged 18 and older (29%) were more than twice as likely as children and youth aged 0 to 17 (14%) to report mouth problems, either in the form of having oral pain or avoiding certain foods.
Among Canadian adults, 24% reported persistent pain in their mouth and almost one in five (18%) reported avoiding certain foods because of mouth problems. By contrast, 11% of children and youth experienced mouth pain, and 6% reported avoiding certain foods because of problems in their mouth.
A greater proportion of women and girls reported having persistent pain (24%) and avoiding certain foods (18%) compared with men and boys (19% reported persistent pain and 14% reported avoiding certain foods).
Toothlessness highest among seniors
Among adults aged 18 and older, 4% reported having lost all their natural teeth.
The loss of all natural teeth (also known as toothlessness or edentulism) can lead to changes in eating patterns, nutrient deficiency, involuntary weight loss and speech difficulty. It also increases the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, significantly affecting overall health and well-being if left uncorrected.
Seniors were most affected by toothlessness, with 11% of those aged 60 and older reporting having lost all their natural teeth, compared with 1% of adults aged 18 to 59. However, compared with those living in other countries, Canadian seniors were less likely to have lost all their natural teeth. According to the World Health Organization's Global Oral Health Status Report, the global prevalence of edentulism for those aged 60 and older was 23% in 2022.
Lower-income Canadians and those without dental insurance are at a higher risk of having oral pain and avoiding certain foods because of mouth problems
Not all Canadians are able to receive care for their oral health problems. Previous analysis has shown that Canadians are more likely to see an oral health professional and get care when they have higher income levels and access to dental insurance.
The results released today show that Canadians with lower family income were significantly more likely to experience mouth pain and avoid certain foods because of mouth problems. More than one-quarter (27%) of individuals with a family income of less than $70,000 experienced regular pain compared with 16% of those with a family income of $90,000 or more. Similarly, 22% of those with a family income of less than $70,000 avoided certain foods because of mouth problems compared with 10% of those with a family income of $90,000 or more.
Among those with a family income of $70,000 to $89,999, 23% reported experiencing oral pain and 16% indicated avoiding certain foods.
The story was similar for dental insurance coverage, with 29% of uninsured Canadians experiencing pain compared with 18% of those with insurance. Canadians without access to dental insurance were more than twice as likely to avoid certain foods because of mouth problems as those with insurance (24% vs. 11%).
Mouth pain is more common among Filipino and Arab Canadians
Similar to the differences observed by income level and insurance coverage, oral health experiences were not the same across all population groups in Canada.
Overall, 22% of Canadians experienced regular oral pain and 16% of Canadians avoided certain foods because of mouth problems, yet these experiences varied significantly by population group. For example, higher proportions of Filipino (31%) and Arab (42%) Canadians reported persistent pain in their mouth sometimes or often in the 12 months prior to the survey. Food avoidance attributable to mouth problems, meanwhile, was more prevalent among Black (22%), Filipino (29%) and Arab (30%) Canadians.
Almost half of Canadians with disabilities report experiencing oral pain or avoiding certain foods because of mouth problems
Canadians with disabilities may face different challenges that can affect their oral health, such as the need for accessible care options. The results released today show that 46% of people of all ages with disabilities reported experiencing persistent mouth pain or avoiding eating certain foods because of mouth problems, compared with 24% of people of all ages without disabilities.
Persistent oral pain was significantly more prevalent among people with disabilities (37%) compared with those without disabilities (20%). Furthermore, people with disabilities were more than twice as likely to avoid certain foods because of mouth problems (31%) compared with those without disabilities (14%).
About one in nine people with disabilities aged 18 and older (11%) reported having lost all their natural teeth, compared with 4% of people without disabilities. This percentage is notably higher among disabled older adults. About 16% of people with disabilities aged 65 to 79 had lost all their natural teeth, compared with 10% of those without disabilities.
Edentulism is higher among smokers
Smoking is frequently listed as a lifestyle risk factor related to oral health. Results from the COHS showed that edentulism was much higher among smokers. Those who reported being current or former smokers were nearly twice as likely (7%) to report having lost all their natural teeth as those who reported having never smoked (4%).
Among older Canadians, more than one in five Canadian seniors aged 65 and older (21%) who were current or former smokers reported having lost all their natural teeth, compared with 13% of those who never smoked—the largest difference observed between the two groups with respect to oral health problems.
Besides edentulism, the only significant difference observed was for the avoidance of certain foods, which was reported more often among current daily smokers (21%) compared with those who never smoked (17%).
In total, 7 in 10 Canadians (70%) brush their teeth at least twice a day
The results released today also include information on how Canadians are taking care of their oral health. According to the Canadian Dental Association, good oral hygiene, including regular brushing and flossing, can help prevent tooth decay and inflammation in the gums. From November 2023 to March 2024, 7 in 10 Canadians (70%) reported brushing their teeth at least twice a day, while 3 in 10 (30%) reported flossing at least five times a week. Women and girls, despite reporting more oral health problems, were more likely to brush their teeth at least twice a day (76%) and floss at least five times a week (34%) compared with men and boys (65% reported brushing their teeth at least twice a day and 26% reported flossing at least five times a week).
Chart 1
Proportion of Canadians with disabilities and without disabilities reporting toothlessness and mouth problems, Canada, excluding territories
Chart 2
Proportion of Canadians reporting selected oral health behaviours, Canada, excluding territories
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Note to readers
Cycle 1 of the Canadian Oral Health Survey (COHS) is a voluntary annual household survey that collects information directly from Canadians on their oral health.
The target population for the COHS consists of Canadian households with adults 18 years of age and older, living in the 10 provinces, as well as all household members aged 17 and younger.
It excludes people living in the territories and on reserves and in other Indigenous settlements in the provinces, the institutionalized population, and members of the Canadian Forces living on a base.
In this release, data on racialized groups are measured with the visible minority variable. The non-racialized group is measured with the "not a visible minority" category of the variable, excluding Indigenous respondents (living off reserve). For the purpose of this study, Indigenous respondents (living off reserve) are not part of the racialized group or the non-racialized group. "Visible minority" refers to whether a person belongs to one of the visible minority groups defined by the Employment Equity Act. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.
In the questionnaire, when respondents were asked about mouth problems, help text was provided with a list of problems to avoid confusion with pain related to orthodontic treatment. No note regarding pain caused by tooth eruption was included, which could have led to some misinterpretation for younger children. However, the quality test performed in preparation for the survey did not reveal any misinterpretation of these questions.
Regarding mouth problems, respondents were asked whether they experienced them sometimes, often, rarely or never in the 12 months prior to the survey. For analysis purposes, the responses "sometimes" and "often" were combined, and only the combined results were presented in the article.
Data on Indigenous populations include only those living in the provinces and living off reserve. Those living in the territories or living on reserves were not included in the target population for the survey. This is a limitation, as it excludes Indigenous people who are particularly affected by barriers to health care access and food insecurity.
On COHS Cycle 1, adjusted family net income data was only available for those aged 18 and older. The adjusted family net income value was then assigned to all children living in the same household, though the relationship between the adult and the children remains unknown.
The family income level refers to the 2022 adjusted family net income.
On the COHS Cycle 1 questionnaire, the respondents were asked whether they identify as a person with a disability. A person with a disability, as defined by Canadian Survey on Disability, is someone who has a long-term difficulty or condition, such as a vision, hearing, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain, learning, developmental, memory or mental health-related impairment, that limits their daily activities inside or outside the home, such as at school, at work or in the community in general.
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Contact information
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