Editing Toothache (section)

==Epidemiology==
In the United States, an estimated 12% of people reported that they had a toothache at some point in the six months before questioning.<ref name=Hargreaves2011 />{{rp|40}} Individuals aged 18–34 reported much higher rates toothache than those aged 75 or over.<ref name=Zakrzewska2009 />{{rp|6}} In a survey of Australian schoolchildren, 12% had experienced toothache before the age of five, and 32% by the age of 12.<ref name=Zakrzewska2009 />{{rp|6}} Dental trauma is extremely common and tends to occur more often in children than adults.<ref name=Douglass2003 />

Toothache may occur at any age, in any gender and in any geographic region. Diagnosing and relieving toothache is considered one of the main responsibilities of dentists.<ref name=Wolf2012 >{{cite journal|vauthors=Wolf CA, Ramseier CA |title=[The image of the dentist. Part 1: Results of a literature search]|journal=Schweizer Monatsschrift für Zahnmedizin = Revue Mensuelle Suisse d'Odonto-stomatologie = Rivista Mensile Svizzera di Odontologia e Stomatologia / SSO|year=2012|volume=122|issue=2|pages=121–32|pmid=22362180}}</ref> Irreversible pulpitis is thought to be the most common reason that people seek emergency dental treatment.<ref name=Fedorowicz2013 /> Since dental caries associated with pulpitis is the most common cause, toothache is more common in populations that are at higher risk of dental caries. The prevalence of caries in a population is dependent upon factors such as diet (refined sugars), socioeconomic status, and exposure to fluoride (such as areas without [[water fluoridation]]).<ref name=Zakrzewska2009>{{cite book|author=Zakrzewska JM|title=Orofacial pain|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-923669-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lyL1UOfQX4C&q=orofacial+pain}}</ref>{{rp|6}}