Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS)

Organisation responsible: The Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) is commissioned by the UK Health Departments (all four for the first four surveys, England, Wales and Northern Ireland only for the last survey in the series). The latest survey, conducted in 2009, was carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the NHS Information Centre for health and social care, in partnership with the National Centre for Social Research, and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The survey team also included dental experts from the Universities of Birmingham, Cardiff, Dundee, Newcastle, and University College London.

Background and purpose: The purpose of the ADHS is to provide important information about the dental health of adults in the four nations of the UK (see note on Scotland in the paragraph below). The survey investigates the current state of adults' dental health, their experiences of dental care and their access to dental services; it also measures changes over time. This information helps health authorities/boards to effectively plan local dental services and shows the extent to which government dental health targets are being met.

Survey years/frequency: The survey is carried out every 10 years. The first survey was conducted in 1968 with follow-ups in 1978, 1988, 1998 and 2009. Scotland did not take part in the 2009 survey; from 2008 onwards data on adult dental health in Scotland will be available via the Scottish Health Survey, with the first results published in 2009.

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

Target population: Adult population (aged 16 and over) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Sample size: In 2009, the sample size for the survey was 13,400 households (1,150 in each English Strategic Health Authority and Wales, and 750 households in Northern Ireland).

Response rate: In 2009, household interview response rate was 60%.

Method of data collection: There are 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 is carried out by a specially trained dentist recruited from the Community Dental Health Service. An interviewer accompanies the dentist and records the details of the examination directly into a laptop computer.

Smallest geographical unit reported: Government Office Region (North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West, Wales, Scotland).

Availability of results and further information: Results from the 2009 ADHS are available from the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The datasets from the ADHS are available from the UK Data Archive via their ESDS website.