Dental health has improved significantly over the decades, as the focus has shifted from treatment to prevention. Significantly, only about 6 per cent of adults have no natural teeth nowadays, compared to 37 per cent in 1978.¹

Even so, only one in 10 adults is considered to have excellent oral health. Over four-fifths of the population have at least one filling, and on average each adult has seven fillings, with 31 per cent of adults having active tooth decay.¹

Among younger people, an estimated 46 per cent of 15-year-olds and 34 per cent of 12-year-olds had “obvious decay experience” in their permanent teeth in 2013. This was a reduction from 2003, when the comparable figures were 56 per cent and 43 per cent respectively, said the HSCIC Child Dental Health Survey 2013 report. It identified a significant correlation between high levels of decay and high levels of deprivation.²