Average Monetary Gift From the Tooth Fairy Sinks by 10.32%
Delta Dental of Minnesota

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Press Release - Delta Dental of Nebraska Logo


February 26th, 2016

Average Monetary Gift From the Tooth Fairy Sinks by 10.32%

Latest Victim of Wall Street:

Tooth Fairy Giving Average Monetary Gifts Sink by 10.32%

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (February 26, 2016) - Amidst tumultuous times on Wall Street, Tooth Fairy giving has taken a nosedive. According to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll sponsored by Delta Dental, the Tooth Fairy’s cash gifts have dipped to $3.91, down 10.32% compared to $4.36 in 2014.

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The Original Tooth Fairy Poll has typically served as a good indicator of the economy’s overall direction, tracking with the movement of Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P 500) for 12 of the past 13 years. This year, however, the Tooth Fairy must have been using predictive analytics as the market continues to take losses beyond the 8.2% drop during the time the survey was conducted compared to 2014.

In 2015, the Tooth Fairy gave a total of $256 million for lost teeth, up just .6% from the prior year in spite of 5% more parents saying she left money for their children this year. Cash gifts for a child’s first lost tooth, typically higher than average, are also down by 9.23%.

“The Tooth Fairy can deliver a powerful lesson about finances from an early age and be a great way to make losing teeth less scary for kids,” said Dr. Sheila Strock, vice president of dental services for Delta Dental of Minnesota. “Discussing the importance of good oral health habits with children is crucial, even before the loss of the first tooth, introducing the Tooth Fairy can be a great way to start those conversations.”

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Delta Dental found the Tooth Fairy visits 86% of homes with children in the nation; in 93% of those homes she gives money. As it turns out, the Tooth Fairy may also factor in the cost of living, varying the rate per region with the Midwest coming in last at $3.11 compared to Northeasterners ($5.27), Westerners ($4.25) and Southerners ($3.63).

The Tooth Fairy can be absent-minded too, forgetting to pick up a tooth in more than a third (35%) of homes at least once. And region matters - the Tooth Fairy is more likely to forget a tooth pick up in the Midwest (46%) than in the West (36%), South (34%) or Northeast (23%). Additional findings from the survey:

  • 76% of the time, moms are the parents enlisted to help the Tooth Fairy, up from 61% a year ago.
  • The Tooth Fairy is most likely to visit homes between 10 pm and midnight (68% of the time).
  • Oral health related gifts from the Tooth Fairy are on the rise: toothbrushes (40%, up from 33%), toothpaste (33%, up from 27%) and floss (27%, up from 14%).

“We’re glad to see that, in addition to money, the Tooth Fairy is leaving gifts that help drive home the critical importance of good oral health from the youngest of ages,” added Strock.

About the Survey: The Children's Tooth Fairy Survey was conducted between December 16th, 2015 and January 14th, 2016 among a nationally representative sample of 1,307 parents of children ages 6-12. The margin of error is +/- 2.7 percent.

For more information on youth oral health, visit http://www.deltadentalmn.org/oral-health/kids-corner/.

About Delta Dental of Minnesota:

Delta Dental of Minnesota is an independent, tax-exempt, nonprofit health services company that serves the oral health needs of Minnesota and North Dakota residents. Since 1969, Delta Dental of Minnesota has accomplished this mission by providing the best access across the state to oral health care through affordable dental plans. Delta Dental is an authorized licensee of the Delta Dental Plans Association of Oak Brook, Illinois. To learn more, go to www.DeltaDentalMN.org.