Three quarters of UK adults are not meeting the recommendation of seeing a dentist every 12-24 months, according to a new survey.
While 78% of the adults believed that oral health plays a significant role in overall physical health and mental wellbeing, 41% were worried about their own oral health.
The same survey considered the attitudes of dental professionals to the nation’s oral health. Of these, 65% had seen a worsening of oral health in the past year, and 28% did not think their patients had a good grasp on basic dental hygiene.
The majority of the dental professionals (85%) believed that oral health advice should be offered in every appointment, covered within the NHS contract. Three quarters of the patients surveyed would also support this.
The role of the dental industry was also considered, with 83% of dental professionals believing consumer brands have a role to play. For example, by providing customers with the knowledge and tools to prioritise preventive oral healthcare.
‘A profound impact on the nation’s oral health’
Conducted by Haleon, the survey included 2,001 UK adults and 250 oral health professionals.
Jo Cooper, general manager GBI at Haleon, said: ‘We know that oral health professionals are under huge pressure, and people are struggling to access care. This is having a profound impact on the nation’s oral health. It is shocking to see that both oral health professionals and consumers recognise that oral hygiene is declining, despite its importance to our overall health. It is critical that we take action to reverse this trend.’
Haleon called for the UK government to prioritise oral healthcare in its 10-year plan for the NHS, in consultation with the dental profession and industry.
In April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that only one fifth of patients who tried to get an NHS dental appointment within a month were successful.
Of those who had tried to get an NHS appointment in the previous 28 days, 20.5% were successful and 79.5% were unsuccessful. While 6.9% of the patients who could not get an NHS appointment saw a private dentist, 81.4% received no care.
In total, around half of those surveyed (53.2%) used NHS dental services and 35.6% used private dental services. However 10.9% said they did not have a dentist at all.
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