Tasmania has the highest rates of decayed and missing teeth in the country

Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) showed that Tasmania has the lowest oral health score in the nation at 32 out of 100.

The oral health score is comprised of four equally weighted pillars to determine an oral health score of 100.

These include the average number of DMFT per person, the percentage of adults with untreated decay, and the growth or decline rate from 2004-06 and 2017-18.

The AIHW found that the average Tasmanian had about 12 DMFT per person and that 31.9 per cent of Tasmanian adults had untreated tooth decay.

The number of Tasmanian adults with untreated tooth decay has increased from 22.47 per cent over 10 years, which was the country's third-largest negative change.

Tasmanian adults aged 35-54 had the highest rates of untreated tooth decay in Tasmania and Australia at 40.5 per cent.

AIHW researchers said the prevalence of untreated tooth decay is more closely related to socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors than age.

"More adults eligible for public dental care (35 per cent) had at least one tooth with untreated dental decay than those ineligible for public dental care (31 per cent)," AIHW researchers said.

"Poorer oral health results from infrequent dental care. Barriers include cost, appropriateness of service delivery, and lower levels of health literacy, including oral health."

Tasmania also led the way with the highest rate of adults with complete tooth loss in the country at 6.5 per cent, and the highest rate of adults with inadequate dentition, or fewer than 21 natural teeth, at 15 per cent.

The researchers found the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on Tasmanian oral health in terms of the number of dental services, the type of services offered, and how services were delivered.

In 2020-21, around 1 in 8 (12 per cent) adults aged 15 years and over delayed seeing or did not see a dental professional at least once in the last 12 months due to COVID-19.