Study by Portsmouth dental academy gives insight into care

The study, by the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy and the Dental Institute at King’s College London, shows an increasing need for treatment with age, smoking, exemption from payment and deprivation status.

Data from a dental facility where teeth are restored, when possible, was looked at by the universities who found:

n Adults from the most deprived fifth of the population were more likely to receive tooth extraction.

n Smokers had a higher likelihood of receiving all treatments.

n The odds of receiving treatment increased with age among adults.

n Tooth extraction was higher among adults who were without pay eg, retired people.