Why does the NHS need national surveys of health?

It is important for NHS organisations who plan and buy treatment services on behalf of their local populations to know what levels of health there are in that population.  They need to know if the health is better or worse than other areas.  They also need to know where the greatest needs are in their own area.

Why do you need to visit schools or go to people’s homes?  Why don’t you just ask the doctors and dentists what people need?

It is necessary to know about the health of the whole population, not just those who are in touch with treatment services.  Primary Care Trusts have a responsibility to design services to fit the health needs of the whole population.

How does the survey system for dental health work?

We are very fortunate in the UK because we have a well established system which can reliably measure the levels of dental health among specified age groups of children and adults.

Local teams of dentists and assistants are specially trained to examine and record dental disease in a standardised way so that comparison can be made between different areas and between the same groups over time.

My child has been picked to take part in a national survey – what will this involve?

Surveys of children usually take place at schools.  They may involve children who are just starting primary school or at the end of primary school.

Schools are asked to help with the surveys and a specially trained team of a dentist and assistants randomly select which children they would like to examine on a day agreed with the school. 

Parents are informed that a survey is going on and what it involves. 

In England and Wales - For young children, most PCTs ask parents to sign a form giving their permission for their child to take part.  For older children consent is provided by the child but parents have the opportunity to withdraw their child.

On the day of the examination small groups of children are brought to the designated room at school and the fieldwork team, who have wide experience at looking after young children, explain to them what they plan to do.

Each child is asked to lie flat, either on a school table or a reclining sun-lounger.  The dentist then carries out a very brief and simple examination of the child’s teeth and mouth.  They use a mouth mirror and cotton wool rolls or buds to dry the teeth.  Occasionally they may need to gently remove bits of food from teeth and they use a probe to do this.  The dentist tells the assistant with them what they can see on each of the teeth and uses codes to do this.  Usually they record whether teeth are decayed or filled or extracted.  They also have codes for teeth that have been damaged or are missing for reasons other than decay.

The presence of plaque or signs of sepsis may also be recorded.  In older volunteers the dentist may assess the appearance and position of teeth, again using codes.  They may also be asked some questions about their own views and experiences.

None of this takes very long and nearly all children find it easy to do.  If any problems are seen which the examining dentists think should be checked out in a dental surgery they will sent a note home and suggest that you contact your own dentist.

Examinations for these surveys cannot replace full check ups that your own dentist should carry out regularly.  All children and adults should visit a dentist regularly.

I have been asked to sign a form to let my child take part in a survey – what should I do?

Please sign the form and send it back to school promptly if you are happy for your child to take part.  The answers given here show that the surveys are important and that the process is very easy for most children.  Even those that might be nervous at your dentist’s surgery usually find it very easy to have teeth quickly checked at school.  No child is forced to take part if they really don’t want to.  Often the anxious children are reassured when they see how easy it is for their classmates to have the examination.

What happens to the information that is collected?

All the information is recorded onto computer files which are kept securely.  No names or identifying information is entered onto the computer files and analysis is done for whole groups – never for individuals.

The information for each Primary Care Trust and Local Authority is sent via a secure site to a centralised point where the data are checked and analyses carried out.  The results of whole PCT and LA samples are published and reported in a variety of ways – including on this website.