Oral health
The state of the oral health of Scotland’s children was outlined in ‘An Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland’ (Scottish Executive, 2005), which emphasised the importance of good dental health and eating habits from early childhood.
‘Successive national oral health surveys have revealed very high levels of dental decay in young children in Scotland, with children from the most disadvantaged communities commonly demonstrating the highest levels of decay.
- By the age of 3, over 60 per cent of children from areas of deprivation have dental disease.
- By the age of 5, over 56 per cent of all Scottish children have dental disease.
- By the time they are 14, 68 per cent of children have suffered from dental caries in their adult teeth.
The problem often starts at a very early age. If we are to tackle the problem, we need to ensure that children from all communities in Scotland access care regimes that emphasise the importance of good dental health and healthy eating habits from early childhood. This requires a partnership between a range of professionals and the parents of young children.’
Key messages
To promote good oral health there are three key messages.
- Diet: reduce the consumption and especially the frequency of intake of drinks, confectionery and foods that contain sugars.
- Tooth brushing: clean the teeth thoroughly twice every day with fluoride toothpaste containing at least 1000 ppm fluoride.
- Dental attendance: have a dental check-up every year.
