Uni of Adelaide to conduct National Oral Health Survey

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

The dental hygiene habits, oral health and overall wellbeing of Australians will be captured in the second decennial National Adult Oral Health Survey, and the University of Adelaide’s Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH) has again been appointed the facilitator of the study.

The draft National Oral Health Plan 2015-2024 calls for an adult and child oral health survey to be conducted every ten years to assess the condition of Australians’ oral health, and inform dental policy makers, professional bodies and the public.

As a result of a collaboration between ARCPOH, Commonwealth Department of Health, State and Territory Health Departments, and with support from the Australian Dental Association and Colgate, ARCPOH will coordinate the 2016-2018 National Survey of Adult Oral Health, which marks 10 years since the first national survey of adult oral health (NSAOH 2004–06), also conducted by ARCPOH.

“The national survey will essentially be a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of people aged over 15 years across each State and Territory,” says Professor Marco Peres, Director of ARCPOH. “The survey will comprise of two main components: telephone interviews and dental examinations.

“For the telephone interview component, approximately 15,000 people will be interviewed in order to gather information on socioeconomic status, dental and health service use, oral health behaviours, and other determinants of oral health,” he says. “And eligible interviewees (those with natural teeth) will also be asked to participant in a dental examination.”

Professor Peres says oral health is directly linked to general health and wellbeing, and his team is eager to commence this importance national survey.

“ARCPOH is proud to be appointed the provider of the 2016-2018 National Survey of Adult Oral Health,” says Professor Peres. “Our team has the experience and resources to conduct a thorough survey of Australians.”

“Gum disease can lead to cardiovascular disease and is linked to diabetes. And infections in the mouth can spread throughout the body.

“The National Oral Health Plan 2015-2024 is a welcomed initiative and will facilitate vital improvements to the oral health of Australians,” he says.

ARCPOH staff will coordinate all aspects of the study including overall supervision of the survey components, sampling, training of examiners, data management, preparation and quality control, data analysis and reporting. State and Territory teams will conduct the dental examinations. Interviews are expected to commence mid-2016 and finish by the end of 2018.

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