Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – The teeth of the Hessians are healthier on average than about ten years ago. This is from the “dental report” presented by the health insurance company Barmer on Friday in Frankfurt. The report examined for different age groups how long they did not need invasive dental therapy such as root canal treatment, filling, periodontitis treatment, a new crown or tooth extraction. Between 2012 and 2020, the average period without such an operation for 40-year-olds increased by around four months to 2.24 years, it was said. On average, 20-year-olds managed three months longer (4.37 years) without invasive dental therapy. 60-year-olds from Hesse were also able to extend their mean therapy-free time by two months to 1.89 years.
“In recent years, Hesse has taken a big step towards sustainable and preventative dentistry,” said Martin Till, State Managing Director of Barmer Hessen. However, this varies significantly in the districts: the dental report reveals “a clear north-south divide”.
The people in the northern districts require invasive dental therapy much more frequently than central and southern Hesse. In the Werra-Meißner district, in Fulda and Hersfeld-Rotenburg, younger people have to return to treatment faster than average – in Darmstadt, in the Odenwald and on the Bergstrasse, the period between two treatments is particularly long.
Only a small proportion of insured people in middle age can manage without therapy in the long term, said Stephan Allroggen, Chairman of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists in Hesse. One cause is periodontitis: Every second person in Germany is affected. This finding is worrying because inflammation of the gums does not stay in the mouth, but is also responsible for heart attacks or strokes, for example.
Allroggen emphasized that “consequent education and continuous treatment are necessary”. “The topic of prevention is of immense importance in maintaining and improving oral health.” The “dental report” was based on secondary data from around 8.9 million Barmer policyholders. They make up around twelve percent of all those with statutory health insurance in Germany.
