Proportion of children with obvious decay experience in primary (age 5 and 8) or permanent (age 12 and 15) teeth by school deprivation status
Children attending deprived primary schools were reported to have experienced more tooth decay than children in non-deprived schools. In deprived schools 60 per cent of 5 year olds and 70 per cent of 8 year olds had obvious decay experience in their primary 'milk' teeth, compared with 40 per cent of 5 year olds and 55 per cent of 8 year olds attending non-deprived schools. In permanent teeth, 55 per cent of 12 year olds and 72 per cent of 15 year olds attending deprived schools had obvious decay experience compared with 42 per cent of 12 year olds and 55 per cent of 15 year olds in non-deprived schools.
The survey identified a relationship between socio-economic status and obvious decay experience. For example, a lower proportion of 5 year olds (34 per cent) from managerial and professional backgrounds had obvious decay in primary teeth than 5 year olds from routine and manual backgrounds (53 per cent). Among 15 year olds, children from managerial and professional backgrounds had lower incidence of obvious decay (47 per cent) compared with those from intermediate (66 per cent) and routine and manual backgrounds (65 per cent).
Although few children had lost teeth due to decay, more 15 year olds from routine and manual backgrounds (7 per cent) had teeth extracted due to decay than 15 year olds from managerial and professional backgrounds (2 per cent).
The need for orthodontic treatment was also related to social factors. A larger proportion (25 per cent) of 15 year olds in deprived schools had unmet orthodontic treatment needs compared with those in non-deprived schools (21 per cent). The need for unmet orthodontic treatment was twice as high (26 per cent) among 15 year olds from routine and manual backgrounds compared with children from managerial and professional backgrounds (13 per cent).
There was no evidence of a relationship between social factors and Tooth Surface Loss or periodontal health.
Notes: Obvious decay experience includes all teeth with cavitated or visual dentine caries, teeth with filled decay (otherwise sound) and teeth extracted due to caries. The definition excludes teeth with enamel caries present.
Schools with more than 30 per cent of students eligible for free school meals were categorised as 'deprived'.
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