Pearl, a dental artificial intelligence company, released an oral health index analyzing more than 26 million x-rays from 15 million patients, representing 737 million teeth.
The index found that U.S. adults average 6.07 decayed teeth, compared with 0.7 in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that relies on visual and manual exams of about 25,000 participants. Missing and restored tooth counts more closely matched NHANES figures, at 2.16 versus two and 7.01 versus six, respectively.
The index also found disparities tied to geography and access to care. In ZIP codes without a practicing dentist, 20.8% of affected teeth were extracted compared with 14.9% in ZIP codes with 51 or more dentists. Pearl attributed the gap partly to the relative cost of extraction versus prevention and treatment in underserved areas.
Data for the index were drawn from patient records spanning April 2024 to March 2026, according to Pearl.
