A greater percentage of adults in Wales have dental problems than in England, despite more of the Welsh population seeing a dentist regularly, according to the biggest adult dental health survey for 10 years.

Although dental health has improved overall in Wales, England and also in Northern Ireland, a greater percentage of the Welsh population have no natural teeth, not enough teeth to eat comfortably (“functional dentition”) and a greater degree of decay, according to the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey, published today by The NHS Information Centre (The NHS IC)

The survey, which has taken place every decade since 1968, was commissioned by The NHS IC and carried out by a consortium managed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department of Health in England, the Welsh Assembly Health Department and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) in Northern Ireland.

Preliminary results show that among adults aged 16 and over:

• One in ten in Wales has no natural teeth, compared to around one third in 1978.

In England the equivalent 2009 figure is around one in 17, compared to three in ten in 1978

In Northern Ireland, the 2009 figure is around one in 14, compared to one third in 1978.

• 80 per cent in Wales have the accepted number of teeth required to eat comfortably compared to 71 per cent in 1978.

In England the equivalent 2009 figure is 86 per cent, compared to 74 per cent in 1978.

In Northern Ireland, the 2009 figure is 84 per cent, compared to 68 per cent in 1979.

• Nearly seven in 10 adults in Wales have regular dental check-ups compared to just under four in 10 in 1978.

In England and Northern Ireland the 2009 figure is about six in 10 adults; compared to around four in 10 in England in 1978 and four in 10 in Northern Ireland in 1988 (the first time this figure was collected in Northern Ireland).

The survey also shows that across all three countries overall:

• People from managerial and professional households have a better level of oral health; 91 per cent have 21 or more natural teeth (the number required to eat comfortably) compared to 85 per cent from intermediate occupation households and 79 per cent from routine and manual occupation households.
• Twelve percent of adults who have ever been to the dentist have extreme dental anxiety about the situation. This is most common among younger age groups, women and people from households at the lower end of the socio-economic scale.

NHS Information Centre Chief Executive Tim Straughan said: “This survey shows dental health has improved in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the condition of people's teeth overall has got much better since this survey was first carried out.

“However it does show there is variation in dental health between England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as in the percentage of our populations who see a dentist regularly. The survey also suggests that more than one in 10 of us are extremely anxious about being in the dentists' chair.”

Today's publication contains preliminary findings from the survey, which was carried out between October 2009 and April 2010 by an ONS-managed consortium that included the National Centre for Social Research, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Universities of Birmingham, Cardiff, Dundee, Newcastle and University College London.

A series of more detailed reports are due to be published in March 2011.

Today's report can be accessed at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalsurvey09

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care (The NHS IC) is England's authoritative, central, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researcher, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS IC also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.

2. The 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) is the fifth in a series of national dental surveys that have been carried out each decade since 1968. The main purpose of the survey is to establish the condition of the natural teeth and supporting tissues; to investigate dental experience, knowledge about and attitudes towards dental care and hygiene; to examine changes over time in dental health, attitudes and behaviour and to monitor the extent to which dental hygiene targets set by the government are being met.

3. Northern Ireland did not participate in the 1978 ADHS; however a similar survey was conducted in Northern Ireland in 1979. Estimates from the latter have been included in trend tables.

4. Scotland decided not to participate in the 2009 ADHS, although it has taken part in previous surveys.

5. As with all sample surveys, the ADHS results carry a certain level of uncertainty - expressed as “confidence intervals” - the range of values which statisticians are 95 per cent sure includes the true figure. These intervals are published in an annex to this publication.

This is particularly important when considering the difference between results for Northern Ireland and Wales. For example, there is a 95 per cent chance that the proportion of the population in Wales who are edentate sits in the range 7.48 to 12.01 per cent. The equivalent range for Northern Ireland is 4.89 to 8.9 per cent. As these ranges overlap, in statistical terms, the difference is not "statistically significant". There is no such overlap between the England and Wales figures, the range for England being 5.35 to 6.15.

6. Dental anxiety is measured using the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS). Adults are asked to rate the level of anxiety they would feel if they were in particular situations – from sitting in a waiting room and going for a scale and polish to having injections or a tooth drilled. The responses are used to calculate an anxiety score.

7. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or contact mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk