Children’s oral health under the microscope

Researchers from the University of Adelaide will conduct a wide-ranging nationwide four-year study on the extent and causes of tooth decay in Australian children and the resultant mental health, education and financial impacts. 

The results of the National Child Oral Health Study (NCOHS), which will examine more than 30,000 children aged 5-14 across the country, in addition to following up approximately 15,000 teenagers and adults who featured in the last study, will be compared with findings from the last time this project was undertaken in 2012-14. 

Supported by the Australian Dental Association, and the South Australian Dental Service, Queensland Health, ACT Health, Northern Territory Government, Tasmanian Health Service, Department of Health, Department of Health NSW, Department of Health WA, the study is intended to take a look at the state of child dental decay which is the most common childhood infection in Australia. 

The project is being led by Professor Lisa Jamieson, Director of the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, which is part of the Adelaide Dental School, at the University of Adelaide. 

“With the use of oral examinations and questionnaire data, we will be able to put the results side by side against what was found in the most recent study in 2012-14,” Professor Jamieson said. 

“We will be able to test, model, evaluate and disseminate evidence that will enable important questions around child oral health, social and emotional wellbeing, school performance and economic productivity to be answered. 

“This is incredibly important so that we can understand how deep and widespread tooth decay is, and what actions policy makers can take to ensure children and parents have the right support available to them.” 

With the ADA’s Australia’s Children and Young People Oral Health Tracker indicating that tooth decay among children remains a pressing issue, the study hopes to establish, says Prof. Jamieson, “whether there has been an improvement in the oral health of children in Australia over the past 10 years since the last study was conducted”. 

“Dental caries imposes a large cost on the Australian economy. That cost is estimated to be up to $1 billion per year. 

“It also has a direct coloration to poor school performance, inadequate nutrition, problems with sleeping and adverse social wellbeing. 

“Children who are in socially vulnerable situations are also more likely to be hospitalised for dental conditions that could have been prevented. 

“These are the types of situations we hope this study can shed some light on.” 

The research has been supported by a grant of $1,499,998.80 from the National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Project scheme.