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Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Changes in self-reported attendance of British adults for dental check-ups between 1991 and 2000
1Dental Public Health, Eastman Dental Hospital, University College London, London, UK. paulb@public-health.ucl.ac.uk
Objective:
To report the changes in self-reported dental check-up patterns of British adults in both the NHS and non-NHS sectors over the period 1991 to 2000.
Method:
Longitudinal cross-sectional questionnaire.
Results:
Between 1991 and 2000, the annual British House-hold Panel Survey (BHPS) indicated that there was a steady increase in the percentage of adults who reported having a dental check-up within the previous 12 months, from 53.6% to 62.3%. While the percentage reporting having had a dental check-up under NHS arrangements rose slightly from 44% to 46%, reported non-NHS check-ups rose from 6% to 14%. Variations in reported attendance patterns for check-ups were noted between the sexes and age groups. A higher percentage of females reported having had a dental check-up under NHS arrangements than males, while no differences were found in the non-NHS sector. Those aged between 46-55 years had the highest percentage of dental check-ups (72%) while the lowest was in those aged 66 years or older (43%).
Conclusions:
The results of the BHPS indicate that there was an increase in the percentage of British adults attending for a dental check-up within any 12-month period for 1991 to 2000 and that there was considerable variation in attendance by both age and sex.
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