Media release from Ministry of Health

A landmark survey of New Zealand oral health clearly shows that Kiwi teeth have significantly improved over the past two decades.

The 2009 New Zealand Oral Health Survey, released today by the Ministry of Health, examines the habits and dental status of 4906 New Zealanders.  It's the first comprehensive study on this scale since 1988.

Chief Dental Officer Dr Robyn Haisman says New Zealanders are now keeping their teeth for longer, and in a better condition than ever before.  

"Oral health is about more than people simply wanting attractive and functional teeth.  Oral health problems can significantly impact on other areas of health, such as nutritional intake and are  associated with heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness in elderly persons, pre-term births and low birth weights.

"This survey shows that oral health has improved since the 1988 survey," Dr Haisman says.  

"Brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste on a soft brush is a very effective and basic form of self-care - and the survey shows that more people than ever before are now doing this.  Across all the age groups it's fairly consistent that around two-thirds of people brush their teeth twice daily, however among children a large number do not use a standard fluoride toothpaste.

"1 in 20 New Zealand adults still don't brush their teeth on a regular basis, and the majority of adults only go to the dentist when they have problems with their teeth.  People who only visit if they have a problem have, on average, more tooth decay, fewer sound teeth and lose more teeth than people who have a check-up on a routine basis.

"At the end of the day whether you take care of your teeth or not is, to a large extent, a lifestyle choice, similar to other lifestyle choices such as whether you choose to smoke, eat healthily or exercise.  Many different factors influence why people make lifestyle choices about their health.  This Survey lets us know about the oral health behaviours of different populations, which means we can work to ensure the public is made aware of the optimal approaches and their benefits."

Dr Haisman says there are also groups who face a higher barrier to accessing services.  "For example, Maori, Pacific and low-income groups have a higher burden of dental disease than other groups.  These groups are also more likely to cite cost as a barrier to dental care and treatment than other groups".

"The survey is a mix of the familiar and the novel.  For example, it's well established internationally that people in areas where the water supply is fluoridated have better oral health, and this Survey is no exception.  But it also contains findings we wouldn't have suspected - such as the fact that Asian populations in New Zealand have far fewer cavities than other groups, but on the flipside have higher rates of gum disease.

"The findings from the Survey will help inform service needs in the future, such as the confirmation that an increasing number of people are retaining teeth into retirement and old age.  Other findings will help us to target strategies to encourage improved self-care and to reduce some of the barriers to dental treatment.  

Dr Haisman says these findings are only the beginning, and the Survey has produced a wealth of data, which the Ministry will make available to researchers in an anonymised form.  

"It's been a huge team effort, led by the Ministry in collaboration with the NZDA (New Zealand Dental Association), Defence Dental of the New Zealand Defence Force and ACC - and we're extremely thankful to everyone who participated.

"We don't pretend to have all the answers, but what we do have is a clearer picture of the situation, which will help us to develop policies to take New Zealanders forward toward further improvements in oral health," Dr Haisman said.