Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll finds parents are confused about dental care

ONE in 10 children are now having decayed teeth removed before their ninth birthday and primary school classes are full of children with fillings, an alarming new snapshot has revealed.

SUGARY diets, bottled water, and the failure of a third of children to brush their teeth twice daily is resulting in an epidemic of tooth decay.

According to new Royal Children’s Hospital research, one in 10 children has now had decayed teeth removed before the age of nine, and a third of primary school students have had at least one filling.

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And as many as one in 20 preschoolers has gone to hospital to have serious dental problems treated under a general anaesthetic.

The RCH’s National Child Health Poll found that many families were unsure what they needed to do to protect their children’s teeth, leading many to avoid dental check-ups until serious problems developed.

Dr Anthea Rhodes, who directed the poll of more than 2000 parents, said children would experience a lifetime’s chronic ill health unless their parents were given better information.

“This is not about lazy parenting,” Dr Rhodes said.

“It is about parents just not getting the education and support early enough to set up the right habits for looking after their kids’ teeth.

“Many of them have not been to the dentist until their children already have problems with their teeth and, by then, there has been unnecessary suffering and pain for those children and huge costs.

“That, combined with sugary diets and bottled water, is setting children up for early decay.”

Three-year-old Jack Ryan brushes his teeth with dad Dan. Picture: Tim Carrafa

Last year, the Herald Sun revealed that in 2017 more than 50 children aged under five had to have surgery at the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne to remove at least half of their teeth.

Three had to have all 20 teeth removed.

The RCH poll found three in four parents had not been advised by a healthcare professional on the basics of caring for their child’s teeth. As a result, a third of preschoolers had never been to see a dentist.

And most parents were unaware that their children’s first dental check-up should occur at the age of 12 months.

More than 80 per cent of parents said they were confident that they knew how to protect their children’s teeth.

Three-year-old Jack Ryan brushes his teeth. Picture: Tim Carrafa

But many believed brushing once a day was all that was required, and most did not know the maximum recommended daily sugar intake.

Dr Rhodes said that while the dangers of sugar-packed fruit juices were now beginning to be understood, almost half of parents did not realise that bottled water — which lacks fluoride — was not as good for their children’s teeth as tap water.

“Studies show very clearly that children need a full set of healthy teeth to chew well, speak well, grow, and develop healthily,” she said.

“So if they lose teeth early, they can have problems with their growth and development.

“A healthy mouth makes for a healthy child and that makes a healthy adult.”

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