Funding Granted for Pilot Study to Find Effective Ways to Reduce Children’s Tooth Decay
A new pilot study to find effective ways of reducing rates of decay in young children is set to launch. Researchers at Plymouth University Peninsula School of Dentistry have been given a grant worth £150,000 to design and run a scheme to identify ways of improving oral health in children.
Researcher Cath Quinn said it is clear that parents need more support to help children achieve good oral health. However, at the moment it is unclear how to support parents and which measures should be employed to improve standards of oral health. The pilot scheme aims to identify potential barriers to good oral health and find ways of reducing rates of decay.
The news comes shortly after dental experts described the latest oral health figures as alarming. The latest statistics from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that 500 children are admitted to hospital for dental treatment each week in the UK and the number of adults and children who visit their dentist on a regular basis has fallen.
The pilot study will be lead by the dental school’s dean, Professor Elizabeth Kay. Speaking about the programme, Professor Kay said it was unnerving that so many children require hospital treatment for decay, a condition that is almost always preventable. The figures show that 25,000 young people attend hospital each year in order to have extraction under general anaesthetic, a procedure that carries risk and should not be required in the vast majority of cases. Although Professor Kay believes there are actions to be taken by government leaders, the fundamental responsibility lies at home and it’s important that parents teach their children good habits and take steps to prevent children from developing decay.
The research team will work with Plymouth’s Family Nurse Partnership to build a model that will help young and first time parents to learn about oral health and encourage positive habits from a very early age. Abby Nelder, quality support officer at FNP Plymouth, said the aim is to establish a “therapeutic relationship” between parents and nurses to provide them with support and advice over a prolonged period of time.
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