New data from Dental Health Services Victoria has uncovered that 57% of 6-year-olds and over 62% of 12-year-olds accessing public dental services in Swan Hill have experienced tooth decay.
Children aged 0-9 accessing public dental services in Swan Hill also had a higher rate of potentially preventable dental hospitalisations.
This data was uncovered through the development of oral health profiles for all Local Government Areas across Victoria. The profiles looked at experience and severity of tooth decay among children, dental hospitalisations, smoking status, and food insecurity. Swan Hill ranked worse than the Victorian average across all indicators for people presenting to public dental clinics.
DHSV CEO, Susan McKee says this highlights how important it is to encourage families in the area to look after their oral health at home.
“Simple daily habits like cleaning teeth twice a day and making healthy food and drink choices can prevent serious oral health problems down the track. Poor dental health can lead to pain, difficulty eating and impact a child’s confidence and overall wellbeing. With the kids back at school for term 1, now is the ideal time to embed healthy habits at home. A few small changes can have a big impact,” advises Susan.
DHSV’s oral health tips for families
Eat well
- Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups every day.
- If you do eat sweet foods, try to have them with a meal when more protective saliva is produced.
Drink well
- Drink tap water. All towns in Swan Hill have fluoridated tap water which helps protect teeth from decay.
- Try to limit drinks containing sugars like soft drinks, fruit juices, cordial, sports drinks and hot drinks with sugar or honey. Even ‘no sugar’ soft drinks contain acids that contribute to tooth decay.
Clean well
- If aged 6 or over, clean your teeth twice a day with standard fluoride toothpaste. Use a low fluoride toothpaste for children aged 18 months to 5 years.
- After brushing, spit out toothpaste but don’t rinse.
Wondering when children should have their first dental check? It might be earlier than you think. Children should have an oral health assessment by age 1. This can be done by a trained non-dental professional like your maternal child health nurse, GP or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioner.
Key Facts:
57% of 6-year-olds accessing public dental services in Swan Hill have experienced tooth decay.
Over 62% of 12-year-olds accessing public dental services in Swan Hill have experienced tooth decay.
Swan Hill kids aged 0-9 also had a higher level of potentially preventable dental hospitalisations.
About us:
Dental Health Services Victoria is the lead oral health agency in Victoria. We provide oral health services through the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Smile Squad and over 45 community dental agencies across the state. We also run statewide population health and oral health promotion programs, invest in oral health research, advise the government on health policy, and support the education of oral health professionals.
Contact details:
Jacqui McCallum jacqueline.mccallum@dhsv.org.au
0404 137 102
Paediatric Dentist and Policy Director available for interview.
