TWENTY thousand people in County Durham and Darlington are being asked to help with an important survey by answering questions about their dental health and visits to the dentist.
County Durham and Darlington Health Authority is carrying out the survey into the dental health of adults between the ages ot 25 and 634.
A questionnaire will be sent out early this month asking people about how often they have had problems with their teeth, their visits to the dentist and their lifestyle.
Jacqueline Rubin, primary care dental adviser to the health authority, said: "In 1998 55 per cent of adults in the UK were in need of some form of dental treatment and 13 per cent of adults had lost all their teeth.
"As the vast majority of dental disease is avoidable, we would like to find ways to improve the dental health of people in our area.
"The results of the survey are extremely important as they will help us to understand the dental health needs of adults so that we have the information available to help us improve dental health services locally," she said.
The results of the survey will be published early next year.
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