Dental Survey 2013

On Friday 26 April we released the results of our latest dental campaign. This is the eighth year that we have asked people a range of questions about their attitudes towards their dental health. This year, the topics included cost, access and the impact dental health can have on the rest of the body. Our media spokespeople for this survey were James Glover and Michael Thomas, Dentist and Simplyhealth Dental Advisor.

Here are some the key results:

• One in ten UK adults haven’t been to the dentist in five to ten years 
• 28% said the reason that they don’t go to the dentist more often is because they can’t afford it 
• 11% of UK adults who received a bill of over £200 in the last year financed their visit to the dentist through payday or bank loans 
• A further 6% even turned to friends and family to cover the cost of their dental health 
• We also found that over 50% of UK adults are concerned about being able to afford dental care in the future 
• 67% of people think that the health of their mouth can impact on other elements of their health 
• A third of people polled said that poor oral health is linked to cardiovascular disease 
• 59% of people know that poor oral health is linked to mouth cancer 
• Worryingly, 22% of UK adults wouldn’t change their current dental habits even if they thought poor oral health was linked to more serious health conditions 

Using the results we have also put together a number of useful factsheets which you can view on the right hand download section and an infographic which you can view below. You can also view these in the multimedia library.