And Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust is hoping thousands more will take part in the telephone survey before the end of the month.
People taking part are being randomly selected by market research firm NEMS and quizzed about when they la
st visited their dentist, how many teeth they have and whether they feel they need treatment.
Health experts hope results will give a more accurate picture of adult oral health and access to NHS dentists in Portsmouth.
Children in the city have one of the worst dental health records in the south east, and health officials fear their problems continue into adulthood.
Campbell Todd, the trust's public health development manager, said: 'We hope to get 5,000 responses. We would ask people to kindly spare a few minutes of their time if they are contacted.
'Interviewees will be asked to answer confidentially a number of questions about when they last visited a dentist, how easy it is to access an NHS dentist, how many teeth they have and whether they feel they need any treatment.
He added: 'We are very concerned about the general state of oral hygiene, particularly in the city's areas of greatest need.
'There are particular concerns for the condition of many children's teeth, but many children take their dental health problems with them into adulthood.'
The full article contains 242 words and appears in The News newspaper.
