UCL: More
than a third (35%) of 12-year-olds and 28% of 15-year-olds say they have been
embarrassed to smile or laugh due to how they felt about their teeth, finds a report.
The
new report, Attitudes, Behaviours and Children’s
Dental Health, reveals for the first time how children aged 12 and 15 feel
about their dental health. 58%
of children aged 12 and 45% of those aged 15 reported that their daily life had
been affected in some way by oral problems in the last three months. This was
most commonly experienced as embarrassment when smiling, laughing or showing
teeth, followed by difficulty eating, and difficulty cleaning teet.
“Oral
conditions can affect children’s quality of life in many different ways, not
just with physical impacts such as eating but also psychologically and socially,”
says Dr Tsakos. “We found that problems were much worse in those eligible for
free school meals, with 33% of 15 year olds eligible and 22% of those not
eligible (for free school meals) saying that their oral health made their everyday
life more difficult. This highlights the extent of social inequalities in oral
health and quality of life among adolescents and the need for preventive
strategies to improve oral health particularly for the more deprived children
in the population.”
Urgent action is needed to tackle oral health inequalities. It is simply unfair and unjust that children from deprived households suffer so much from dental diseases that are largely preventable. Organisations such as Public Health England have a key role in addressing this problem.
Professor Richard Watt
Other
key findings from the report include:
- 44% of 12 year olds and 28% of 15 year olds reported that they would like to have their teeth straightened. Children eligible for free school meals were more likely to want their teeth straightened, but started treatment much later than children not eligible.
- Two thirds of 12 and 15 year olds reported a problem with their dental health in the last three months. The most prevalent problem was sensitive teeth, reported by 32% of 12 year olds and 34% of 15 year olds, followed by mouth ulcers, bad breath, toothache and bleeding gums.
- 71% of 12 year olds eligible for free school meals reported brushing their teeth twice daily, compared with 78% of those not eligible. Similarly, 72% of 15 year olds eligible for free school meals reported brushing twice daily compared with 82% of those not eligible.
- Children eligible for free school meals were more likely to report smoking, drinking sugary drinks and drinking alcohol.
“Children
from deprived backgrounds are more likely to engage in risky behaviours such as
drinking alcohol and sugary drinks, and less likely to brush their teeth or
visit the dentist,” explains Dr Tsakos. “At the same time, they report that
their oral health is having a negative effect on their lives. We need to do
more to address these risk factors and promote good oral health in children as
failure to do so may have a considerable impact on their lives.”
The
report forms part of the Children’s
Dental Health (CDH) Survey 2013 published by the Health and Social Care
Information Centre (HSCIC), which provides detailed information on the dental
health of children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The 2013 survey was
produced by a consortium led by the Office for National Statistics with the
National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), the Northern Ireland Statistics
and Research Agency, UCL, the University of Birmingham, Cardiff University,
Kings College London and Newcastle University.
The
survey also includes a report led by Professor Richard Watt (UCL Epidemiology
& Public Health) on the challenges in children’s dental health highlighted
by the wide range of clinical and questionnaire data from the survey. The
survey found, for example, that 27% of 5 year olds eligible for free school
meals reported toothache in the last 6 months, compared with 11% of those not
eligible.
“Of
particular concern was the strong and consistent relationship between
deprivation and severe dental decay in both 5 and 15 year olds,” says Professor
Watt. “For example, amongst the 15 year olds 26% of those entitled to free
school meals had one or more of the severe decay markers, compared to only 12%
amongst the other children. Rates of severe decay were also consistently higher
in Wales and Northern Ireland compared to England.
“Urgent
action is needed to tackle oral health inequalities. It is simply unfair and
unjust that children from deprived households suffer so much from dental
diseases that are largely preventable. Organisations such as Public Health
England have a key role in addressing this problem. Last week the WHO also published
guidelines to reduce sugars consumption, a particular problem amongst young
people. Public health professionals now need to work together to promote the
oral and general health of children.”
- See more at:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0315/190315-more-third-children-embarassed-smile-teeth#sthash.AUZTfBSQ.dpuf