Dental care & service
More young children visiting dentist
Proportion of 5 and 8 year olds reported to have first visited the dentist before two years of age
More children are visiting the dentist at an earlier age than ever. The proportion of 5 and 8 year olds making their first visit to the dentist before the age of 2 has more than doubled since 1993. In 1983, 7 per cent of 5 year olds' parents reported that their children visited the dentist before the age of 2. The proportion more than doubled to 15 per cent in 1993, and in 2003 31 per cent of 5 year olds made their first visit before the age of two. Among 8 year olds, 6 per cent made early visits in 1983. This doubled to 12 per cent in 1993, and increased to 33 per cent in 2003. The proportion of 5 year olds reported to have never visited a dentist decreased from 14 per cent in 1983 to 6 per cent in 2003.
Dental check-ups or reminders from the dentist were the main reasons given for visits by between 82 per cent and 89 per cent of children across all age groups.
Among 8, 12 and 15 year olds, the proportion of children reported to have had teeth extracted has decreased since 1983. The decline was most pronounced among 12 year olds: from 66 per cent in 1983, to 51 per cent in 1993, to 36 per cent in 2003. A larger proportion (20 per cent) of 15 year olds was reported to have had extractions under general anaesthetic than any other age group.
A parent or legal guardian accompanied 96 per cent of 5 year olds who visited the dentist. This figure declines only slightly as children get older: with 90 per cent of 15 year olds making accompanied visits.
In 2003 the majority of children were reported to have used General Dental Services, either in isolation or in combination with Community Dental Services. Very few children, 1 to 2 per cent, were reported to have received dental treatment outside the NHS.
Around a fifth of parents of 5 and 8 year olds (22 per cent and 20 per cent) and around a quarter of parents of 12 and 15 year olds (24 per cent and 26 per cent) reported difficulties accessing an NHS dentist. The main cause given for difficulties in access by 76 per cent of affected parents was that their nearest family dentist would not accept any more NHS patients.
The General Dental Service (GDS) is made up of independent dentists who are contractors to the NHS. The Community Dental Service (CDS) is made up of dentists employed directly by the NHS and deals with patients who are unable to access the GDS and those with special needs.
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