Tooth decay a real-life drama

Dentistry

Willy Wonka has all the ingredients children love, but you are left wondering if his chocolate and candy factories - as portrayed in the recent smash movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - will continue to impact on young, growing teeth.

And this is all the more prevalent considering that after three decades of improvements, decay incidence in children is now increasing, according to a report conducted by the University of Adelaide and released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The report, Oral Health in South Australia 2004, was developed from a range of surveys conducted by the University's Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), and says that dental decay in both primary and secondary school-aged children attending the School Dental Service has steadily increased since the late 1990s.

In 1996, children aged 12-13 years had an average of 0.53 decayed permanent teeth but by 2002 this had increased by 75% to 0.93, said Professor John Spencer from ARCPOH.

"This is a worrying trend for future adult oral health, as this is occurring despite nearly every child and adolescent using dental services in the last two years, mostly at a school dental service clinic," he said.

"In contrast, about one-third of adults have not visited a dentist in the last two years."

Untreated dental decay accounted for more than 10% of the total decay experience among adults.

While most adults were satisfied with the dental care they received, many avoided or delayed care or recommended treatments because of cost.

"This is despite the fact that over 50% of people in South Australia have dental insurance, which is somewhat higher than the national figure," said Professor Spencer.

Tooth decay in adults using the public dental service has also increased since the mid-1990s with dental problems, like toothache, reported by up to one in four adults each year.

The patterns of oral disease, use of services, expenditure and the labour force present a complex challenge for improving oral health and meeting the community's need for dental care.

This report will help inform public discussion in the lead up to the formulation of a South Australian Oral Health Plan under the development of the South Australian Government.

"What we want to ensure is a better fit between those in need of dental treatment and the provision of dental services," said Professor Spencer.

Story by Howard Salkow