Adult Dental Health Survey

Key facts

Survey coverage: Great Britain & Northern Ireland
Set Sample size: 4,960 (GB), 580 (NI)
Response Rate: 74% (interviews), 72% (dental examination)

Why is the survey carried out?

The 1998 Adult Dental Health Survey was commissioned by the four UK Health Departments. It is the fourth in a series of national dental surveys that have been carried out every ten years since 1968.

The survey was carried out by Social Survey Division in collaboration with the Dental Schools at the Universities of Birmingham, Dundee, Newcastle and Wales. The Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency carried out the fieldwork in Northern Ireland.

The purpose of the survey is to provide information on the current state of adults' teeth and oral health in the four countries of the UK and to measure changes in oral health since 1988.

The specific aims of the survey were to:

• establish the condition of the natural teeth and supporting tissues;
• investigate dental experiences, attitudes and knowledge, dental care and oral hygiene;
• establish the state and use made of dentures worn in conjunction with natural teeth;
• identify those who have lost all of their natural teeth and investigate their use of dentures; and
• monitor the extent to which oral health targets set by government are being met.

How is the survey done?

There were two elements to the survey:

• a face-to-face interview to collect information on the respondent's oral health behaviour, attitudes and opinions; and
• for respondents with some natural teeth, a home dental examination.

The dental examination was carried by a specially trained dentist recruited from the Community Dental Health Service. An interviewer accompanied the dentist and recorded the details of the examination directly into a laptop computer.

The mainstage fieldwork took place between September and December 1998.

Response to the survey

In total, 6,204 interviews and 3,817 dental examinations were carried out. An overall household response rate of 74% was obtained. Ninety two per cent of all adults living in responding households took part in the interview and 72% of eligible adults (adults with some natural teeth who had previously been interviewed) had a dental examination.

Where can the results be found?

A First Release of the data was published on 8th September 1999 while the main report of the survey and a shorter bulletin "Adult Dental Health Survey: Oral Health in the United Kingdom 1998" were published in March 2000.

Copies of the main report "Adult Dental Health Survey: Oral Health in the United Kingdom 1998" can be obtained from The Stationery Office, price £59, ISBN 0 11 621268 3.

Order online from The Stationery Office.

What's new

A symposium discussing the results of the survey will be held in November 2001.
For details click here www.dundee.ac.uk/dhsru/adhs.

For more information about SSD or the surveys we carry out contact:
SSD Project Support Branch Tel: +44 (0)20 7533 5500 or e-mail: ssdpsb@ons.gov.uk

This page last revised: Monday, 29 October 2001