More than one fifth of adults in England have a tooth with obvious decay, marking a ‘reversal’ of previous improvement, according to the latest adult oral health survey.
When those with at least one tooth with non-cavitated decay affecting the inner dentine were included, however, this figure increase to two fifths (41%) of dentate adults with obvious decay affecting at least one tooth.
The proportion of dentate adults with obvious decay reduced considerably between 1998 and 2009. However, there has been a 13% increase in the prevalence of the disease between 2009 and 2023. ‘This is almost a reversal of the previous improvement, bringing the 2023 estimate closer to the one of 1998 rather than 2000,’ the report reads.
Published yesterday (9 Dec), the adult oral health survey 2023 was carried out from June 2023 to April 2024, with a representative sample of adults in England aged 16 and older.
What are the key findings from the latest oral health survey?
- Almost two thirds of adults reported going to the dentist at least once in a two-year period (65%). One third (35%) reported going less frequently, or only when they had trouble with their teeth or dentures
- The majority of dentate adults (71%) had some tooth wear somewhere in the mouth
- More than three in five adults (65%) reported that their oral health was good or very good, 24% reported their oral health as fair, and 11% reported bad or very bad oral health
- Large proportions of adults reported that their oral health negatively impacted on their quality of life – 49% reported that they had experienced an occasional or more frequent oral impact, while 43% reported that their oral health had negatively impacted on their daily life. Additionally, 22% experienced a severe oral impact.
What does the profession say?
British Dental Association chair Eddie Crouch said: ‘Hard won gains on oral health are going into reverse. Government need to double down – and deliver promised reforms and vital investment.
‘Without real commitment NHS dentistry won’t have a future and the nation’s oral health gap will widen further.’
Nigel Carter, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation, said: ‘These figures are a stark warning that England is heading backwards on oral health. To see levels of decay returning to those last recorded in the late 1990s is simply unacceptable and entirely preventable.
‘We urgently need national action to make healthier choices easier, improve access to dental care, and address the widening inequalities that are leaving millions behind. Unless we act now, we risk a generation living with worse oral health than their parents and grandparents.’
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