Publication
Indicators for health education in Scotland; summary of findings from the 1996 Health Education Population Survey (HEPS)
Dental / oral health
The principal aims for health education in this priority topic area areidentified in The Oral Health Strategy for Scotland (SODoH, 1995) andare to encourage people to eat a healthy diet, use preventive measures andvisit the dentist regularly. Activity in the area of dental/oral health is ofparticular relevance given Scotland’s relatively high incidence of dentaldecay.
Knowledge indicator: The proportion of people aged 16-74 who can identifythe main ways to keep teeth in good condition. |
Respondents were asked to identify the three most important ways of keepingteeth in good condition. The main factors mentioned by respondents are shown inFigure 12.
Figure 12: Ways identified by respondents as important in keeping teeth healthy
| Factors affecting health of teeth |
% |
| Frequency of visits to the dentist |
61 |
| Brushing teeth thoroughly |
60 |
| Brushing teeth often |
55 |
| Frequency of eating sugary foods |
48 |
| Drinking fluoridated water |
13 |
| Using fluoridated toothpaste |
10 |
Motivation indicator: The proportion of people aged 16-74 who do not visitthe dentist regularly who cite motivational barriers to visiting more often. |
Regular visits are defined in terms of three or more visits in the past twoyears. Among those who visited the dentist less often, the main deterrent toregular visits was not liking going to the dentist or fear of treatment (22%).
Behaviour indicator: The proportion of people aged 16-74 who regularly visitthe dentist for a routine check-up. |
Forty two percent of respondents reported that they visited the dentistregularly for a routine check-up, while 65% said they were planning to visitthe dentist in the next six months.