The value of a lost tooth is on the rise - 30 cent increase marks upward trend

Delta Dental celebrates 22 years of tracking the Tooth Fairy's U.S. annual giving

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Feb 20, 2020, 06:00 ET

OAK BROOK, Ill., Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Delta Dental released new findings from its Original Tooth Fairy Poll® that show a 30-cent increase in the Tooth Fairy's average cash gift for a total of $4.03 per tooth.

"The Tooth Fairy is one of health care's most powerful tools for teaching children about their oral health," said Jennifer Elliott, Chief Marketing Officer, Delta Dental Plans Association. "By celebrating a lost tooth, children begin to learn the importance of their oral health in an engaging and fun way. At Delta Dental, we continue to provide tools for parents, families and communities to educate young Americans about the importance of their oral health and our 22^nd year of this survey shows our dedication to keeping the Tooth Fairy a vibrant and active part of oral health education."

Delta Dental has been analyzing the Tooth Fairy's U.S. annual giving trends since 1998. The newly disclosed value of a lost tooth has more than tripled since its inception when the value of a lost tooth was $1.30 as it reaches its fourth highest payout in the history of the survey.

The value of lost tooth and the economy
The Original Tooth Fairy Poll has typically mirrored the economy's overall direction, tracking with the trends of Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) for 15 of the past 18 years. Last year, a single lost tooth was valued at $3.70 and this year's survey shows upward growth to $4.03, an increase of nearly 9%. Over the same time period, the S&P 500 also experienced growth, with a 22% increase, reaching its highest average since the inception of the Original Tooth Fairy survey.

U.S. regional snapshot

$4.35 – The Northeast: Leads U.S. regions in highest average monetary gift for a lost tooth, outranking The West, which led the previous two years in a row.
$4.01 – The South: Tracks most closely to the overall U.S. average.
$3.97 – The West: Decreased 22 cents, moving from highest regional average last year to third regional average this year.
$3.71 – The Midwest: Increased 74 cents over last year but remains lower than the national average for the second year in a row.

About the survey
The Original Tooth Fairy Poll was conducted between December 30, 2019, and January 11, 2020, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 parents of children ages 6-12. The margin of error is +/- 3%.

The S&P 500 stood at 2,596 on January 11, 2019 and increased to an average of 3,159 for January 2020.

For more information about the Delta Dental-sponsored survey and oral health tips for infants to pre-teen, visit Original Tooth Fairy Poll.

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About Delta Dental Plans Association
Delta Dental Plans Association, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, is the not-for-profit national association of the 39 independent Delta Dental companies. Through these companies, Delta Dental is the nation's largest provider of dental insurance, covering more than 80 million Americans, and offering the country's largest dental network with approximately 156,000 participating dentists. In 2018, Delta Dental companies provided approximately $79 million in direct and in-kind community outreach support to improve the oral health of adults, children and infants in local communities across the country. For more information, visit: deltadental.com.

SOURCE Delta Dental Plans Association