Adult Oral Health Survey: Access During the Pandemic
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- Published: Thursday, 29 December 2022 07:44
- Written by Peter Ingle
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The government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has published official statistics looking at the effects the pandemic had on dental access.
The Impact of COVID-19 on access to dental care: a report from the 2021 Adult Oral Health Survey is revealing, not just regarding the effects of the pandemic. Statistics have been taken from The Adult Oral Health Survey (AOHS) carried out in February and March 2021.
Headline figures reveal that just 35% of responders reported a need for dental treatment or advice between March 2020 and March 2021.
The main reasons for seeking treatment were; broken or decayed tooth (36%) and toothache or oral pain (31%). 24% did not have a problem, but were seeking a check–up.
Of those needing advice, 68% contacted their usual practice. Less than 10% tried other approaches such as calling 111, or an internet search. The most common outcome for those seeking treatment or advice was that the problem was completely treated by a dental professional. However this accounted for only 48% of the group, of whom another 10% received no advice or treatment at all.
The most common reasons given for not seeking help were that respondents were concerned about catching COVID-19 or were shielding. This accounted for 23% of those who did not seek help. A further 13% did not seek help because they could not afford to pay.
Adult dental health surveys are long established, however there have been some important changes this time. These include, that it was done by self-completed questionnaires rather than face to face interviews, there were no dental examinations of participants, and it covered only England. The name has been changed to reflect a focus on oral health as a whole rather than just dental health. Of the 19,286 addresses selected and contacted, 24% responded.
The figures give information about both those who did not receive treatment, and those whose treatment involved the prescription of antibiotics.
For those requiring treatment for a broken or decayed tooth, 51% had been completely treated by a dental professional, 24% received temporary treatment, 16% were given advice on how they could manage the problem, 8% received a prescription for antibiotics, and 13% received no professional treatment or advice.
When it came to those with toothache or other pain, 43% had complete professional treatment, 19% received temporary treatment, 23% were given advice on self-management, 25% received a prescription for antibiotics and 11% received no professional treatment or advice.
It would be useful to know how the figures compare with those outside the pandemic. With what has been provided, it is difficult to establish if more of the public than usual missed out on treatment when they sought it, or had treatment with antibiotics alone.
Survey shows huge backlog unmet need
This report shows why there is such a massive backlog (even now) of unmet dental care and treatment needs.With some 49million missed visits (estimated by the BDA) clearly gum diseases, infections, destabilising other medical illnesses and missed Oral Cancer screenings annually, as well as more snacking and decay problems, means we will be worse off for dental health and tooth-loss over the coming decade.
Will Dentures actually experience a growth in provision in the coming years, reversing the previous trends, as a consequence too?
Yours observationally ,
Tony.
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