The Scottish Health Survey 2022: summary report

Key findings from the Scottish Health Survey 2022 report.


Chapter 4. Dental Health

In 2022, the majority of adults in Scotland had at least some natural teeth.

  • 94% had some natural teeth
  • 6% had no natural teeth
Just over three quarters of adults had 20 or more natural teeth.
A wheel chart showing the proportion of adults with and without 20 or more natural teeth. The graph shows 77% of adults have 20 or more natural teeth.

 

The two most common problems reported with mouth, teeth and dentures were:

  • Difficulty in eating food: 6%
  • And/or difficulty smiling, laughing and showing teeth without embarrassment: 6%

Mental wellbeing

In 2022, adults who had any issues with their mouth, teeth or dentures reported lower mental wellbeing on average than those who had no such issues. With mean WEMWBS scores of:

  • 41.9 among those who reported such dental issues
  • 47.7 who did not report any issues

WEMWBS scores range from 14 to 70. Higher scores indicate greater wellbeing.

Contact

Email: ScottishHealthSurvey@gov.scot

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