Adult Dental Health Survey Results, 2009

The 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) is the fifth in a series of national dental surveys that have been carried out every ten years since 1968. The main purpose of these surveys has been to get a picture of the dental health of the adult population and how this has changed over time. The survey was carried out in England, Wales and Northern Ireland only: Scotland decided not to participate in the 2009 survey.

The key points for Wales from the first release are:

• Between 1978 and 2009, the proportion of adults in Wales with no natural teeth decreased from 37 per cent to 10 per cent. This was a higher proportion in 2009 than in either England (6 per cent) or Northern Ireland (7 per cent).
• During the same period the proportion of adults in Wales with 21 or more natural teeth increased from 71 per cent to 80 per cent, compared with 86 per cent in England in 2009 and 84 per cent in Northern Ireland.
• The average number of teeth among all dentate adults in Wales was 24.2; the average number of sound and untreated teeth was 16.2.
• The proportion of adults with visible caries on the surfaces of the crowns of their teeth was 43 per cent in 2009 compared with 28 per cent in both England and Northern Ireland.
• In 2009 more than two thirds (69 per cent) of dentate adults in Wales reported attending the dentist regularly for check-ups, compared with only 39 per cent in 1978; this compared with 61 per cent in England in 2009 and 60 per cent in Northern Ireland.
• Eleven per cent of adults who had ever been to the dentist were classified as having extreme dental anxiety.

Further information

NHS Information Centre website: 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 5039
E-mail: stats.healthinfo@wales.gsi.gov.uk

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