Wales
Dental health
Key points
- The number of decayed, missing or filled teeth in the mouths of five year-olds varies across Wales, from an average of 4 in Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil to an average of 1½ in Conwy.
- 5-year-olds in all parts of the Valleys have, on average, more decayed, missing or filled teeth than children in other parts of Wales.
- The average number of decayed, missing or filled teeth in the mouths of five year-olds across Wales as a whole is just under 2½. This compares unfavourably with all the English regions as well as Scotland. In the best of these regions – the West Midlands – five year-olds on average have just one decayed, missing or filled tooth.
Graph 1: By LA
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Graph 2: Compared to GB
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Definitions and data sources
The first graph shows how the average number of missing, decayed or filled teeth for 5-year-olds varies by local authority.
The second graph shows how the average number of missing, decayed or filled teeth for 5-year-olds in Wales compares with the rest of Great Britain.
The data source for both graphs is a large 2005/06 survey conducted by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: high. The data is based on a very large survey.