The oral health survey collects data on the current state of dental and oral health of residents in Belgium. Based on this and previous editions, we can:
- monitor the evolution of oral health in Belgium,
- assess and improve the policy and organisation of oral health care.
To collect representative data of oral health in Belgium, it is important that as many people as possible participate, regardless of their health. Participating in the oral health survey means contributing to a better organisation of oral health care in Belgium, as well as a free check-up of your teeth and oral cavity.
The oral health study is organised by Sciensano on behalf of the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI). Sciensano is responsible for the study and for analysing and reporting the results. We collaborate with Statbel (link is external) (the Belgian statistical office) and the Interuniversity Cell Epidemiology (ICE), which provides the expertise for the clinical aspects of the study.
During the Health Interview Survey:
In order to contact you again after the Health Interview Survey, the interviewer will ask for your written consent to pass on your contact details to the ICE and the dentist. Your details will be kept strictly confidential.
You can choose to have the oral health examination done by your own dentist. This means that you will visit your dentist at the appointed time. Dentists in Belgium have already been informed about this study and will receive all the necessary information to perform the oral health examination on you. If you choose to visit your own dentist, the interviewer will take down your dentist’s name and address.
You can also choose to have the oral health examination performed by a dentist from the research team. In this case, you will be contacted by the ICE secretariat to make an appointment and a dentist will visit your home at the agreed time. The dentist will bring the necessary equipment himself.
- Contact details and contact preferences
To efficiently schedule an appointment, it is important that the ICE secretariat and the dentist can easily reach you. Therefore, the interviewer will ask you to provide your telephone number or e-mail address without obligation. This information is only available to the ICE secretariat and the dentist, and will be deleted immediately after the examination.
You can also indicate at what times during the week it is best for the ICE secretariat or the dentist to contact you to schedule an appointment.
After the Health Interview Survey:
The ICE secretariat will be informed of your willingness to participate in the oral health survey and will be forwarded the information necessary to reach you again (name, address, telephone number and e-mail address). They will also have other relevant information, such as when you are best reached, the choice of dentist and — if applicable — the name and address of your dentist.
This information ensures that the scheduling of the examination can go smoothly. If you chose to have a dentist come to your home, you can expect a phone call from the ICE secretariat. They will schedule an appointment with you directly. If you chose to have the examination performed at your own dentist’s home, the ICE secretariat will first contact your dentist and provide sufficient information. The dentist will then schedule an appointment with you at a time that is convenient for you.
During the oral health examination:
Before the examination takes place, you will complete and sign a consent form. The dentist will assess the condition of your teeth and mouth. Both your teeth and gums will be checked.
No, your participation is not mandatory but highly appreciated. So we hope you will participate in this study. Even during the study, you have the right to stop your participation at any time. You can even decide after the end of this study without any consequence that your data should not be used.
It is not a mandatory study, but to ensure the quality of the results, it is very important that all those invited participate. If you cannot participate due to health reasons, we are of course very understanding.
No, but you will receive compensation in the form of a gift voucher that you can spend in several shops across Belgium. For a visit to the dentist as part of this survey, you will receive a 40 euro gift voucher. If the dentist comes to your home, you will receive a 20 euro gift voucher.
You will receive the gift voucher after the oral health examination by post or e-mail. For administrative reasons, this may take several weeks.
The oral health survey is aimed at the total population in Belgium, from young to old, with and without health issues. We want to assess the oral health status of the inhabitants in Belgium. It is therefore important that we are able to survey both healthy and less healthy individuals.
Organizing oral health research is a complex matter. Sciensano wants to ensure you that nothing can go wrong. The preparations took more time than expected, causing us some delays. We are now ready for the next step: contacting the candidates for the study. Haven’t you received your invitation for the study yet? That’s normal; we will contact you as soon as possible. We thank you for your patience!
You can always contact us by mail to ice-cie@kuleuven.be or by phone at the number 016 71 35 21.
The information from the oral health examination is strictly confidential. By contract and by law, the dentist must abide by professional confidentiality.
Moreover, all personal data that we collect are kept strictly confidential. They are stored and analysed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. We guarantee that no identifying data will be transferred to third parties. The results of this research will be published, but these publications will never contain information that would make it possible to identify the individuals who participated in the research.
This research has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Ghent University Hospital.
We expect all surveys to be conducted by 15 December 2024. After that, we can start checking the data and conducting the analyses. In 2025, the first results will be published and appear in the media. On the Health Interview Survey project page, we will also publish the results for the 2023-2024 Health Interview Survey.
