Impact of Oral Health
Regular dental visits reduce problems
Proportion of children reported as having at least one oral condition problem by age and dental attendance pattern
The 2003 Children's Dental Health survey compared children's reported oral problems over a period of 12 months with their usual dental attendance pattern. Among all age groups, children who attended the dentist regularly were less likely to be reported as having problems due to their oral condition than those who only visited the dentist when having trouble with their teeth.
Parents were asked whether their children had experienced any problems in the previous 12 months as a result of the condition of their teeth and gums. Parents of 22 per cent of 5 year olds reported at least one problem; as did the parents of 26 per cent of 8 year olds, 34 per cent of 12 year olds and 28 per cent of 15 year olds. When compared with children's level of attendance at least one problem was reported by parents of 25 per cent of 15 year olds who were regular attendees, compared with 39 per cent for children who attended only when having trouble with their teeth.
The types of problems assessed included pain, problems chewing or talking, feeling self-conscious or embarrassed, or becoming more irritable. The most common problem reported was pain, reported by the parents of 16 per cent of 5 year olds, 20 per cent of 8 year olds, 26 per cent of 12 year olds and 20 per cent of 15 year olds.
Among all age groups, children described as only attending a dentist when they have trouble with their teeth were more likely to have experienced pain. For example, 31 per cent of 8 year olds who only visited the dentist when having trouble were reported to have experienced pain compared with 18 per cent of occasional and 16 per cent of regular attendees.
Children who had already experienced decay in their primary teeth were more likely to report problems. For example, 32 per cent of 5 year olds with obvious decay had experienced at least one problem compared with 14 per cent of those with no obvious decay.
A larger proportion of 12 and 15 year olds with unhealthy gums (38 per cent and 32 per cent) were reported to have experienced a problem compared with children with healthy gums (25 per cent and 24 per cent respectively).
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