Modelled prevalence of restorative treatment in European adults (2015-2024)

Dental restorations are a major component of modern dental healthcare, yet contemporary European prevalence estimates remain fragmented. This study estimated the modelled prevalence of adults with at least one filled or restored permanent tooth across contemporary European oral-health datasets.

Aggregate filled-teeth (FT) data from European national, regional, and administrative sources collected in 2015-2024 were retained at their reported age intervals. Mean FT was modelled using country-specific intercepts and a common age slope, empirically calibrated to person-level prevalence, standardized using country-specific 2019 age distributions for adults aged 18-74-y, and weighted by country population. Alternative datasets, calibration methods, age models, and country-level resampling were examined.

The analysis represented 341.6 million adults, of whom 45.5% lived in countries directly supported by suitable national data or represented by the England data. The main six-setting model and the population-weighted estimate across all 20 included countries were both 83.1%. Modelled prevalence rose from 62.5% at age 18 to 93.6% at age 74. Estimates using alternative suitable datasets ranged from 82.4% to 86.4%; applying the lowest and highest national age curves gave a range of 74.0%-89.1%. These ranges are sensitivity analyses and do not represent confidence intervals.

Contemporary European FT data suggest that restorative treatment experience is present in approximately four in five adults aged 18-74 y in the included populations, although prevalence is modelled rather than directly observed.

These modelled estimates provide a European benchmark for planning the monitoring, repair, maintenance, and replacement of restored dentitions, while showing where better national surveillance is needed.