1 in 6 adults are affected by toothache

© ANP / ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN
In 2024, 16 percent of respondents said they had been affected by toothache in the previous 12 months and 21 percent by bleeding gums. Adults who said they brush their teeth twice or more a day were less likely to be affected by toothache and bleeding gums than those who brush once a day or less. They also experienced better oral health. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this based on the 2024 Health Survey.
World Oral Health Day is a global health care event observed every year on 20 March. This year’s theme is: ‘A happy mouth is a happy body’. Poor oral health is associated with various health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney and lung disease, obesity, and problems during pregnancy.

Those with poor oral health are five times more likely to experience toothache

Among people who perceive their oral health as poor or very poor, toothaches were five times more likely to occur than among those who perceive their oral health as good or very good: 50 percent versus 10 percent. Bleeding gums were three times more likely to occur among those aged 18 and over with poor or very poor oral health (46 versus 15 percent).

Less oral discomfort among those who brush twice daily

Adults who brush their teeth twice or more a day were less likely to have experienced toothaches in the previous 12 months than adults who brush their teeth once a day: 15 versus 22 percent. Twenty-eight percent of adults who said they brushed less than once a day had experienced toothache.

Adults who brush their teeth twice a day or more were less likely to experience bleeding gums than those who brush less often.

Nearly 76 percent of people aged 18 and over who brush their teeth at least twice a day perceive their oral health as good or very good. This was the case for 63 percent of those who brush only once a day, and 39 percent of those who do not brush their teeth every day.


3 in 4 young adults brush their teeth twice a day or more

In 2024, 75 percent of adults reported brushing their teeth twice a day or more. Twenty-three percent do so once a day and 2 percent brush less than once a day. Forty-four percent reported cleaning the space between teeth once a day or more with dental floss, toothpicks, or interdental brushes. This excludes adults who have no natural teeth.



People who wear dentures were less likely to report experiencing bleeding gums and tooth pain than those not using dentures, among those who perceived their oral health as good and very good, and those who perceived it as poor or very poor.

Adults with their own teeth are most likely to report good oral health

Among adults who have their own teeth, 75 percent rated their oral health as good or very good, while for those who wear dentures the share was 64 percent. Among those with dentures, it also makes a difference whether they have any teeth of their own or not: 56 percent of those with their own teeth were positive about their oral health while among those with false teeth only, this was 79 percent.


In 2024, 20 percent of adults wore dentures. Seven percent of adults said that they no longer had their own teeth; most of them had false teeth.

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