Children

The oral health of children in Northern Ireland, England and Wales will be assessed in a UK-wide survey taking place this autumn.
The Children’s Dental Health Survey has taken place every 10 years since 1973, and is an essential tool for planning future care services, UK ministers say.
Support from the education sector is essential, as the survey involves a short dental examination carried out at school on a random sample of children aged five, eight, 12 and 15, followed by a postal questionnaire for parents. A questionnaire that 12- and 15-year-olds can complete themselves will also form part of the survey for the first time.
The last survey, in 2003, showed that obvious decay experience in the permanent teeth of eight-, 12- and 15-year-old children had decreased significantly since 1983, to its lowest recorded level.