Self perceived oral health, oral treatment need and the use of oral health care of the adult population in Skåne, Sweden

Abstract

The aim was to describe how the adult population in Skåne, Sweden, perceived their oral health, dental status, oral treatment need and use of oral health care. A questionnaire was sent to a randomly selected sample of 10 000 persons in Skåne, Sweden. The individuals were between 20 and 89 years old and registered as residents of the region during 2006. After excluding those no longer living in the region, 9 690 individuals remained. The response rate to the questionnaire was 63%, of which 57% were women and 43% men.A majority was satisfied with their teeth and with their teeth's appearance, 65% and 62% respectively. Of the respondents, 35% considered their dental health to be better than others in their age group. Symptoms associated with periodontitis were experienced by 40%. 7% were missing more than ten teeth while 7% had no dental fillings. 30% rated their need of dental treatment as high and most expected their treatment need to increase in the future. Most of the respondents, 60%, received their oral care at a private practice, whereas 13% did not see a dentist regularly for check-ups. More women than men perceived a high dental treatment need, 32% compared to 28%.

Conclusions: A majority of the adult population in Skåne have a positive attitude towards their oral health. Most individuals had lost few teeth and removable dentures were uncommon.A third rated their dental treatment need as high and most expected their treatment need to increase in the future..