It’s been revealed that the UK are trailing behind other countries when it comes to oral health education in schools. The survey, conducted by YouGov, was in conjunction with the FDI World Dental Federation to tie in with World Oral Health Day.
It assessed 16,477 adults, of which 4,367 were parents with children aged 5-16. They were asked if their child’s school provided lessons on good oral care. Given that tooth decay can affect a child’s social skills, confidence and readiness, health care in schools is vitally important. Only 29 of parents could confirm that their child received good lessons on oral care. Unfortunately, this means out of the 13 countries surveyed, the UK ranked 13th.
The UK’s results were dramatically lower than the other 12 countries who ranked above them. They were behind the USA (53), Australia (54), Germany (69), China (77), Saudi Arabia (81), Poland (84), Algeria and Morocco (86), Indonesia (87), India and Brazil (91) and Mexico (93).
Additionally, the survey also shed further light on the quality of oral health education. 49 of parents from the UK didn’t know just how often their child’s school gave lessons on good oral hygiene.
Though the survey doesn’t go into detail about whether the children actually do receive regular lessons on dental health, it certainly exposes a knowledge gap in oral health education.
Alarmingly, oral diseases are the most prevalent disease globally, affecting a staggering 3.58 billion people. In fact, tooth decay is the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children in the UK. Educating children about the importance of looking after their teeth could undoubtedly have a tremendous impact on a child’s confidence and overall health. Not to mention that it could save the healthcare industry thousands of pounds a year.
It’s clear that schools need to be encouraged to teach children about good oral care. However, it’s also crucial that parents take it upon themselves to educate their children about why good dental hygiene is so important. This starts with regular trips to the dentist.
We’re passionate about our younger patients here at Dental Solutions. We frequently welcome children and teenager patients into our practice. Not only does this ensure we’re on hand to spot any dental issues, but we believe it also sets a good example for them to continue visits to the dentist into adulthood. We also offer discounts; children under 16 will be seen for free if their parents are on our Practice Plan, otherwise it’s just £15 for a general checkup appointment. We do not charge for children under 5 years old.
If you’d like more information about the general dentistry services we offer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can book a completely free, no obligation consultation through this link: https://gavinismydentist.com/booking. Alternatively, give us a call on 01925 756565 to speak with a member of our friendly team.
