Study to look at why dental system is failing children

The Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health will lead a national study over the next four years to investigate why the oral health system is failing Australia's children. "Despite a substantial level of resources - approximately $1 billion dollars annually - being directed to dental services for children in Australia in the last decade, their oral health is still a major public health problem," ARCPOH’s Professor John Spencer says. "After several decades of improvement, child oral health has worsened and inequalities have widened." Latest statistics show that dental restorations and extractions are the most common reason for hospital admissions among Australian children under 14 years of age. In 2006 nearly 27,000 children - 8,114 of whom were pre-school children - were admitted to hospital for dental work. The study will look at how dental services for children are organised and delivered, comparing the use of private dentists and school dental services and the outcomes for child oral health. School dental programs will be included. The nationwide study – involving all eight State and Territory public dental authorities - will also document current levels of oral health and its variation across the child population. A representative sample of approximately 32,000 children aged 5-14 years old will be drawn from a mixture of public and private schools across Australia. "The challenge is to identify and eliminate barriers to dental health services in Australia, improving service delivery, reducing risks and promoting healthy diets," says Prof Spencer.