The ADEAGies Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). For more than 50 years, the ADEAGies Foundation has enhanced the oral health of the public through programs that support dental education, research, leadership and recognition.
Why oral health matters
- Tooth decay is the most prevalent childhood disease in the United States. It is five times more common than asthma.
- One in three U.S. adults has untreated tooth decay, almost one in two has gingivitis, and more than one in five has gum disease.
- There are 30,000 new cases of oral cancer each year, and it causes more than 8,000 deaths annually.
- The U.S. armed forces spend a disproportionate share of medical resources on treating the dental problems of new recruits.
- New research points to possible associations between oral disease and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and low-birth-weight babies. Many other diseases and conditions have oral warning signs.
- In older people, poor oral health increases general health risks and affect nutrition.
- Minority, low-income, and special-needs populations suffer disproportionately from oral disease.
What dental education can do
Today’s dental education and research institutions strive to meet the oral health care needs of the public by:
The ADEAGies Foundation contributes to solving oral health care problems by encouraging excellence in dental education, research, and patient care.