People in the lowest socio-economic group are less likely to rate their oral health as ‘good’ (66%) than people in the highest socio-economic group (80%). There are other differences between these groups as well, including in the number of annual visits to the dentist or dental hygienist. This is evident from the first report of RIVM’s Oral Health Monitor.
In general, most adults (73%) in the Netherlands (people aged 18–65) rated their oral health ‘good’ to ‘very good’ in 2023. Among people aged 65 and over, this was 66%. Since 2023, RIVM has been tracking developments in oral health for different groups commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The reason was that structural and cohesive information on this topic was lacking.
Differences between groups of people
This report identifies differences in oral health between socio-economic groups for the first time. These groups were determined based on their living standards (income), level of education and employment history. This first report shows that people from lower socio-economic groups performed less well on the indicators. For example, they perceived their oral health to be poorer. They also indicated that they had less frequent contact with their dentist or dental hygienist (71% among people in the lowest socio-economic group against 91% in the highest group). People from lower socio-economic groups were also more likely to indicate that they had a full or partial denture and that they had fewer than 20 of their own ‘real’ teeth left. The standard number of teeth (including wisdom teeth) is 32.
Visits to oral healthcare providers
The figures also show that, in general, the number of people who visit a dental hygienist is increasing. The percentage of adults and young people who visit a dentist has been stable at 80–85% in recent years. On the other hand, the number of people aged 65 and over who visit a dentist is increasing. A possible explanation for this is that people aged 65 and over are now keeping their own teeth for longer, giving them a reason to visit a dentist even at an older age.
About the Oral Health Monitor
The information available for this report provides an initial overview of oral health in the Netherlands. The data used for this report were derived from Statistics Netherlands and RIVM’s Health Survey/Lifestyle Monitor and the National Health Care Institute. The monitor will be supplemented over the coming years, including with data collected by oral healthcare providers. New figures will be published on VZinfo.nl every year, as well as a report with in-depth analyses to clarify the existing figures, for example as to why people do not visit oral healthcare professionals. This will lead to increasing insight into oral health in the Netherlands.