North South survey of children’s oral health in Ireland 2002

Abstract

Executive Summary highlights: Since 1964, water supplies in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) have been adjusted to 0.8 to
\n1.0 parts per million (ppm) fluoride. Currently 71% of the population receive fluoridated
\ndomestic water supplies.
\n• In RoI, decay levels are lower among children with fluoridated domestic water supplies than
\nthey are among those with no domestic water fluoridation.
\n• Decay levels are lower among children who get fluoride in their water supply in RoI than they
\nare among children in Northern Ireland (NI, no water fluoridation).
\n• Although decay levels are higher amongst the less well off, disadvantage does not account for
\nthe difference seen between flouridated and non flouridated areas. Fluoridation is effective
\nin both disadvantaged and non disadvantaged groups.
\n• The prevalence of dental fluorosis (most commonly seen as paper white patches or fine white
\nlines on the tooth enamel) is higher amongst children and adolescents with fluoridated water
\nsupplies.
\n• Despite the effectiveness of water fluoridation and fluoride toothpastes, there is little cause
\nfor complacency since tooth decay continues to be a very common disease. For example by
\nage 15, 73% of adolescents with fluoridated water supplies in RoI already have decay in their
\npermanent teeth, this compares with 81% in non fluoridated NI.
\n• Children in RoI have amongst the highest frequency of consumption of foods and drinks
\nsweetened with sugar when compared with 34 other countries (WHO). Given their
\nunfavourable dietary habits and average or below average frequency of brushing (WHO),
\nwater fluoridation continues to be an important preventive agent for the control of dental
\ndecay levels in Ireland.
\n• The factors associated with variation in decay levels amongst 15-year-old adolescents in RoI
\nwere fluoridation status, parents’ occupational status, frequency of tooth brushing, method
\nof rinsing after tooth brushing and frequency of snacking.
\n• In NI, there were two factors found to be associated with varying decay levels amongst 15-
\nyear-old adolescents, these were parents’ occupational status and amount of toothpaste used
\nwhen brushing.
\n• The level of oral hygiene was judged to be unsatisfactory for the majority of children in RoI;
\nthis variable was not measured in NI.
\n• The percentage of 15-year-olds who were under orthodontic treatment or had completed
\ntreatment rose from 14% in 1984 to 23% in 2002 in RoI.
\n• Dependants of medical card holders were less likely to have had orthodontic treatment than
\nthose without medical cards (17% vs 26%).
\n• Amongst 15-year-olds, 22% of those in RoI had trauma to their anterior teeth, compared with
\n14% in NI. A high proportion of this trauma to anterior teeth remains untreated in RoI.
\n• In RoI, one in five 12-year-old children, and one in three 15-year-old adolescents, had tooth
\nwear exposing dentine on at least one anterior permanent tooth.
\n• In RoI, 46% of parents were ‘very satisfied’ and 37% were ‘satisfied’ with the dental service
\nprovided to their children, 4% of parents were either ‘dissatisfied’ or ‘very dissatisfied’ with
\nthe service. In NI, almost all the parents completing the questionnaire were either ‘very
\nsatisfied’ (69%) or ‘satisfied’ (29%) with the service provided.