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Adults were asked to rate their oral health in the 2008 National Dental Telephone Interview Survey (NDTIS) and this report examines their responses by various demographics including age, sex, education and private dental insurance status.

ISSN 1445 775X ; ISBN 978-1-74249-077-9; Cat. no. DEN 206; 4pp.; INTERNET ONLY

Main findings

  • Over one in five (21%) of the Australian adult population rated their oral health as fair or poor, and 11% rated their oral health as excellent.
  • The proportion rating their oral health as fair or poor increased with age, from 13% of  those aged 18–24 year to almost one quarter of those aged 45 years or older.
  • All the socioeconomic indicators investigated were significantly associated with self-rated oral health.
  • The largest differences were found in educational attainment, private dental insurance, cardholder status, home ownership and difficulty in paying a $150 bill.
  • About 40% of those aged 25–64 years without dental insurance and those aged 45–64 years who were renting their home rated their oral health as fair or poor.
  • The two middle age groups (25–44 and 45–64 years) had the largest differences in rating their oral health as fair or poor among the socioeconomic indicators.

Recommended citation

AIHW Dental Statistics and Research Unit 2010. Self-rated oral health of adults. DSRU research report no. 51. Cat. no. DEN 206. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 12 January 2013 <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442472414>.