Oral health: adults - trend data
30-year trends in the oral health of adults can be assessed using the Adult Dental Health Surveys (ADHSs). In general, the dental health of adults in Scotland is improving (Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) 1997).
The dental health of adults is poorer in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, but considerable improvements have been seen since 1972 (Nuttall, 2001). Overall, 18% of adults in Scotland were found to be without natural teeth (edentulous) in 1998, compared with 44% in 1972 (Chart 1).
This decreasing trend in edentulousness is seen within all age groups and has been evident since the first survey in 1972 (Chart 2). However, the percentage of edentulous adults increases with increasing age, and even by 1998 more than half of all people aged 65+ had lost all their teeth.
Within these overall trends, there is a tendency for a slightly greater proportion of males than females to be edentulous. Socio-economic status (as assessed by the occupation of the head of the household) continues to influence oral health (measured by edentulousness). The trend for higher proportions of adults with total tooth loss to be found in more deprived socio-economic groups has been consistent over the last 30 years. However, the general time trend of a lower proportion of adults losing all their teeth is repeated across all of the socio-economic groups.
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