History of the Poll

Since 1998, Delta Dental has annually conducted the Original Tooth Fairy Poll^® as a fun way to gauge how generous the tiny fairy had been in the previous year. The poll collects Tooth Fairy average giving and compares it to stock market activity to show how the value of a lost tooth relates to the U.S. economy (Tooth Fairy Index^SM).

The poll also asks parents about their children’s dental behaviors, such as how often they visit the dentist and what they know about tooth decay.

Poll answers provide Delta Dental with valuable data that we in turn give to parents so they can discuss and promote good oral health care with their children. Talking about the Tooth Fairy’s giving habits is also a wonderful opportunity to sneak in a discussion about the value of money.

More than 100,000 randomly selected Delta Dental subscribers are invited to participate in the poll.

Historical Rate Index

Over time, the Tooth Fairy Index^SM (TFI) shows that the value of a lost tooth is closely related to the U.S. economy. Much like Punxsutawney Phil’s Groundhog Day weather prognostication, the Original Tooth Fairy Poll has generally been a good barometer of the overall direction of the economy. In fact, in seven of the past 10 years, the trend in average giving has tracked with movement of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA).