Three quarters of children have tooth decay by 15
Three quarters of Irish children have tooth decay by the age of 15, a new study warned today.
Larger quantities of sugary foods are blamed for the early cavities which are leaving half of all five-year-olds with decaying baby teeth.
Dr Helen Whelton, director oral health services research centre in University College Cork, said Irish people eat more sugary sweets than almost all other European countries and fail to brush their teeth as often.
The three-day Public Dental Surgeons seminar, in Adare, Co Limerick, heard Ireland lags behind England in terms of preventing decay although levels of tooth decay have fallen in Ireland since the 1980s.
Dr Patrick Quinn, incoming president of the Public Dental Surgeons Group of the Irish Dental Association, said: “Dentists share many of the concerns of general health professionals.
“A high level of sugar consumption is a concern not only to dentists but to those dealing with other important health issues such as diabetes and obesity.
"Our experience is that there is a significant increase in decay in young children and unless there is a reduction in the instances of consumption of sugary foods, that cavities among young children will continue and grow.”
Comparing Ireland with European countries, Dr Whelton said Ireland’s dental health did compare favourable.
The IDA said Irish dental health is maintained largely due to the fluoridation of our water supply. The association warned without this Ireland would display the worst oral health in Europe.
Dentists’ warned if people are to reduce the chances of decay they must cut back on sugary foods and drinks.
Another speaker at the conference, Dr Paula Moynihan of Newcastle University, said research findings had linked sugar intake in children’s diets to tooth cavities and obesity levels.
She warned the increase in the instances of cavities among young children were unlikely to be reversed until there is a decrease in sugar in children’s diets.
Dr Whelton said it is more damaging to children’s teeth if they eat sugary foods over long periods of time rather than consume those foods in one sitting.
