Summary

Table 1: Australia’s National Oral Health Plan 2015–2024: trends

Trend Legend: Trend legend – favourable, unfavourable, no change, no data/insufficient data

NOHP Key Performance Indicators Comparison to baseline report
1. Caries experience in children

no data/insufficient data
No new data available for children

2. Untreated caries prevalence

no data/insufficient data
No new data available for children

Unfavourable increase for adults

3. Periodontitis prevalence

Unfavourable increase

4. Edentulism prevalence

tick - favourable
Favourable decrease

5. Inadequate dentition prevalence

tick - favourable
Favourable decrease

6. Mean number of missing teeth


No Change

7. People experiencing toothache

Unfavourable increase

8. Food avoidance due to dental problems

Unfavourable increase

9. People feeling uncomfortable with appearance of mouth and teeth

Unfavourable increase

10. Oral cancer relative survival rate

tick - favourable
Favourable increase

11. Access to optimally fluoridated drinking water


No new national data available

12. Adults who smoke daily


No Change

13. Free sugar consumption


No baseline data available
Proxy data presented in this report

14. People who have received an oral health check-up in the previous two years


No Change for children

Unfavourable decrease for adults

15. Daily brushing with fluoride toothpaste


No Change for children


No Change for adults

16. People who report avoiding or delaying visiting a dental practitioner in the last 12 months

tick - favourable
Favourable decrease

17. Children accessing oral health care through a government funded oral health program

tick - favourable
Favourable increase
*interpret with caution

18. Adults accessing oral health care in the public sector

tick - favourable
Favourable increase
*interpret with caution

19. Potentially preventable dental hospitalisations

Unfavourable increase

20. Private dental practices and services accredited to National Safety and Quality Health Service standards


No baseline data available

tick - favourable
Recent data shows a Favourable increase

21. Newly registered dental practitioners, by division


No baseline data available

Recent data shows an Unfavourable decrease

22. Registered clinically active dental practitioners


No Change

23. Non-oral health vocational education and training sector enrolments successfully completing oral health units of competency


No Change

24. Students enrolled in dental and oral health courses who have a rural background

Unfavourable decrease

25. Patient experience visiting a dental professional


No Change

26. Adult daily alcohol consumption


No Change