Dentinal Decay
Children's permanent teeth better than ever
Proportion of children with obvious decay experience by age
The 2003 Children's Dental Health Survey found that obvious dental decay experience in 8, 12 and 15 year olds' permanent teeth has decreased to its lowest recorded level since 1983.
The improvement was particularly strong among 15 year olds, with the proportion having decay into dentine falling from 42 per cent in 1983, to 30 per cent in 1993, to 13 per cent in 2003.
Obviously decayed permanent teeth were more likely to have been filled than in 1993. Among 8 year olds, 52 per cent of obviously decayed permanent teeth had been filled, compared to 37 per cent a decade earlier. Among 12 year olds, the proportion rose from 58 to 69 per cent. Among 15 year olds, it rose from 68 to 77 per cent. The use of sealants on permanent teeth has fallen since 1993 in all age groups.
The proportion of 5 and 8 year olds with filled primary teeth has fallen since 1993, with 12 per cent of 5 year olds and 26 per cent of 8 year olds having filled primary (or 'milk') teeth. But in contrast with the older age groups, filled primary teeth represented a smaller proportion of the total decay experience than in previous surveys, indicating that fewer obviously decayed primary teeth had been filled.
The 2003 survey introduced new criteria to assess decay: these included both visual and cavitated caries. The inclusion of visual caries had a pronounced effect on the assessment of the prevalence of decay in permanent teeth. For example, using the new criteria, the proportion of 12 year old children with obvious decay experience increased from 34 per cent to 43 per cent.
Variation across the countries of the UK was evident in the proportion of children with obvious decay experience in the permanent teeth. Among 8, 12 and 15 year-olds the lowest levels of obvious decay were found in England, followed by Wales, with the highest levels found in Northern Ireland. In the primary teeth, 5 and 8 year olds in England had lower levels of obvious decay experience than children in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Notes The 2003 Children's Dental Health Survey, commissioned by the four UK Health Departments, is the fourth in a series of national children’s dental health surveys that have been carried out every 10 years since 1973 in England and Wales and in the whole of the UK since 1983.
Separate analysis for Scotland was not required by the Scottish Executive.
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