South East Public Health Observatory

The URL is a pdf format, quite a large file needs broadband.

This is the summary
• Whilst oral health has improved in children overall, tooth decay has become clustered within the population and some groups of children still suffer from significant levels of damaged teeth.
• Tooth decay is closely related to social deprivation and inequalities in oral health exist.
• The majority of tooth decay in the South East region is either untreated or treated by removal of the affected tooth.
• Any improvements in oral health in five-yearold children since the 1970s have stopped and there has been a worsening in tooth decay levels in some areas.
• The 2003 national targets for tooth decay in five-year-old children had not been met in 2001 and were unlikely to be met given that improvements in oral health in five-year-old children had stopped or started to reverse.
• The most important evidence for the prevention of tooth decay is the use of fluoride.
• No areas in the South East region have fluoridated public drinking water supplies.

5. Recommendations
• Each SHA area needs to address the issue of fluoridation of the drinking water supplies.
• Areas with children with high levels of tooth decay should be identified and preventive services should be targeted to these locations.
• The Brushing for Life programme, if proven to be effective, should be developed in all areas within Sure Start schemes.
• PCTs need to develop locally sensitive oral
health strategies.
• A review of specialist services within primary care for children should be undertaken.
• SEPHO should be requested to undertake further work on access to oral health services.
• SEPHO will regularly update data on tooth decay levels in five-year-old children on its website as it becomes available.