A recent meeting conducted by the Public Dental Surgeons Group of Ireland (held in Wexford) concluded that the level of tooth decay in Irish teenagers was one of the highest in the world, surpassing that of British teenagers. The oral health of younger children isn’t much better either, excepting those children living in areas of water fluoridation.
Dr Carmel Parnel, an oral health researcher, explained that one in five irish eight year olds experienced tooth decay in their permanent teeth and that this number rose to three in four for fifteen year olds. Professors at Cork University have said that dental decay is the single most common chronic disease in teenagers in existence. There is cause for concern as there is evidence that even younger children are suffering with decay at a very early age. One survey showed that 27% of three year olds experienced dental decay.
These alarming statistics highlight the importance of detecting disease early and issuing appropriate advice early on in a childs life. We believe that it is important to bring children to the dentist from a very early age for these reasons. Examinations from the age of six months are ideal as this gets children used to seeing a dentist also. One of the best ways to protect permanent teeth from tooth decay in children who are prone to tooth decay is to provide children with ‘fissure sealants’ when the permanent molars and premolars first erupt. Children that have a high risk of tooth decay in their permanent teeth are those who have had tooth decay in their deciduous (baby) teeth or have siblings with a high tooth decay rate. Teeth with deep fissures are also teeth that are more prone to the decay process.
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