One in five children in Britain have dental work by age of 5
A new study has revealed that one in five children now have dental work by the age of five. The research by Oasis Dental Care looked at the brushing habits of 2 to 11 year olds across the UK, and revealed that 37% have had fillings, 26% have needed at least one crown, and 35% needed gum disease treatment. As well as this, one in four children regularly go an entire day without brushing their teeth, and by the age of nine, 295 of children have had gum disease, or had a crown or filling fitted.
Eddie Coyle, Head of Clinical Services for Oasis Dental Care, said that the research emphasized the importance of education, as “many people are simply unaware of how to take care of their children’s dental hygiene.” He continued to say that “In this campaign we are encouraging parents to ‘take two’ twice a day to ensure their children are brushing their teeth properly. If parents invest time in their children’s dental care early on, they could avoid invasive dental procedures not only in childhood, but also in adult life.”
The research showed that 57% of the 2,000 adults polled could confidently say their child cleaned their teeth daily, and that one in five children between eight and 11 (18 per cent) go one day a week without brushing their teeth. Dental health experts recommend that we brush our teeth for two minutes twice a day; however, only seven% of parents managed to get their kids to brush their teeth that long.
29% of parents with five year olds find cleaning their children’s teeth the most stressful part of the day, and one in ten dread it so much they leave their children to get on with it themselves. Children also make it worse for parents by resisting, as they 9% runaway, 8% have a tantrum, 19% make excuses to avoid brushing their teeth, and 14% get upset.
Mr Coyle noted that improving the health of children’s teeth is “not just about how you brush your teeth – diet plays a big part too, and reducing the intake of sugary snacks is really important.” Only five per cent of children don’t eat a sugary snack every day, so brushing regularly and properly is as important as ever; 74% of children have at least one sugary drink a day and, by the age of three, a third of children are having at two or three sugary drinks daily. Mr Coyle said that these findings “paint a worrying picture as children as young as two are eating and drinking sugary snacks and drinks regularly every day.”
He then urged parents to “think about the levels of sugar content in foods and drink that they and their children consume as foods high in sugar and carbohydrates increase mouth bacteria which attack the teeth and cause decay.”
