The first reports and data from the 2021 national adult oral health survey have been published today. This is the link to the documents The impact of COVID-19 on access to dental care – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The report focuses on the reported experiences of accessing dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey was carried out using online and paper questionnaires and captured views on attempts to access dental care and reasons.
The results are reported in relation to gender, age, deprivation etc
Main findings:
- Just over a third (35%) of adults in England who responded to the survey reported having a need for dental treatment or advice between March 2020 and March 2021, when access to dental services was limited because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
- The most common reasons for needing treatment or advice were because of a broken or decayed tooth (36%) or toothache or mouth pain (31%). Around a quarter of participants reported that they did not have a problem but wanted a check-up (24%).
- Two thirds of survey participants (68%) who needed advice contacted their usual dental practice. Less than 1 in 10 tried other approaches, for example contacting a new practice, searching the internet or social media or dialling 111. One in 6 (16%) of them did not seek any advice or treatment.
- The most common outcome for those who had sought treatment or advice was that the problem was completely treated by a dental professional (48%). One in 10 (10%) did not receive any advice or treatment.
- The most common reasons for not seeking help were that participants were worried about catching COVID-19 or were shielding (23% of those who did not seek help), or because they could not afford to pay for treatment or advice (13%).
