Uk Children’s Dental Health Survey To Begin Autumn
A ten year dental health survey is set to begin in autumn; the Children’s Dental Health Survey will gather information about children’s oral health in England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the next decade.
The survey will involve more than 1,000 schools and 21,000 children and the findings will be used to shape the future of children’s dental healthcare. Random checks will be carried out at schools on children aged 5, 8, 12 and 15 years old to determine standards of oral health in children on different ages and identify problem areas. Parents will also be sent a questionnaire in the post and for the first time, 12 and 15 year olds will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about their oral health habits.
The study is funded by health departments and will run in line with the NHS’ dental epidemiology programme; the survey will involve children from private and state schools.
Barry Cockcroft, chief dental officer for England, said that it was vital that dentists assisted with the survey and dental teams are currently being recruited across the UK to work with schools and learn about the assessment process, so that all children undergo the same checks to produce a reliable and accurate result.
The results of the last survey were published in 2003 and revealed that decay among 12 and 15 year olds had decreased to the lowest recorded levels
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