Low Self-Awareness of Gum Disease in Older Adults, Study Finds a Major “Awareness Gap”

Tomoaki MAMENO, Kazunori IKEBE
Department of Removable Prosthodontics and Gerodontology, Graduate School of Dentistry

Masahide TAKEDACHI
Department of Periodontology and Regenerative Dentistry

Ryohei YAMAMOTO
Health and Counseling Center

A research group from the University of Osaka has conducted a large-scale study on 158,990 adults aged ≥ 75 years in Osaka Prefecture to see how well people’s own sense of their gum health matches reality. The researchers compared what older adults reported about their own symptoms (bleeding gums and loose teeth) with the actual findings from a dental exam by a dentist or dental hygienist.

The gap proved striking. Among older adults whose dental exam showed bleeding gums, only 24%, about 1 in 4, realized they had the problem. And among those found to have loose teeth, fewer than half (43%) were aware of it. For people living with dementia, that awareness dropped even lower: just 33% noticed their teeth had become loose.

These findings point to a significant “awareness gap,” indicating that many older adults are unaware of the gum disease in their own mouths.

These findings provide evidence for the importance of regular dental examinations, such as the public dental check-ups for older adults in Japan. The findings may also support a more coordinated approach to oral health for people with dementia, one that brings dental, medical, and long-term care professionals together.

The article, “Self-Reported Periodontal Symptoms and Clinical Periodontal Status in Older Adults With and Without Dementia: A Population-Based Diagnostic Accuracy Study,” was published in the international scientific journal, Journal of Clinical Periodontology, on July 15, 2026 at DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpe.70168