Who likes going to the dentist? But perhaps treatments are no longer necessary as often. Figures from a health insurance company show that younger people in Germany in particular can do without invasive dental treatment for longer.
Fillings, root canal treatments or new crowns: According to an analysis by the Barmer health insurance company, people in Germany have managed to get by a little longer on average without invasive dental treatments. The insurance company deduces from this that younger people in particular tend to have better teeth, as can be seen from the Barmer dental report, which was presented in Berlin this Thursday. The evaluation is based on data from the period from 2012 to 2020 on Barmer’s statutory insured persons.
Dental health improved significantly, especially in the group of 20-year-olds. In 2020, they went an average of 4.4 years without having to see a dentist. That was an increase of more than half a year compared to 2012. A good quarter of the group did not need any invasive treatment of their teeth in the period between 2012 and 2020.
For the 40-year-olds, too, the period without dental interventions increased by three months to 1.9 years. Eleven percent of 40-year-olds did not have any invasive treatments from 2012 to 2020. In the third group considered, the 60-year-olds, the average therapy-free time increased by just over a month to 1.6 years.
Christoph Straub, CEO of Barmer, describes the dental care in Germany as very good, but there is also a drop of bitterness: “Dentistry is still more aimed at therapy than prevention.” Many dental diseases are preventable. Dental practices should expand prophylaxis accordingly.