The Scottish Health Survey 2022: summary 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

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.