Dental Caries
© 2012 Scottish Universities Medical Journal, Dundee Published online: May 2012
Electronically Published SUMJ ‐ 003 Chambers S (2012). Public Health & Dental Caries in Young Children in Deprived Communities in Scotland
Public Health and Dental Caries in Young Children in Deprived Communities in Scotland
Stephanie Chambers (Research Fellow, Oral Health and Health Research Programme, Dental Health Services and Research) Correspondence to: Stephanie Chambers : s.a.chambers@dundee.ac.uk
ABSTRACT
Dental caries is the most prevalent disease worldwide, and is caused by a complex interaction of tooth susceptibility, nutrition and the oral environment. In young children it can have a major impact on their quality of life, and is the main reason why Scottish children are admitted to hospital. There have been dramatic improvements in Scottish children’s oral health. This has been enabled through the introduction of Childsmile, the national oral health programme for Scottish children. Nevertheless, significant challenges exist in reducing oral health inequalities. This paper calls for a greater emphasis on the social determinants of health to ensure that all Scottish children have the benefit of good oral health. Key Words: public health; dentistry; oral health
Introduction
Dental caries, also known as tooth decay, affects the vast majority of adults and 60‐90% of children in industrialized countries1. It has a complex aetiology as demonstrated in figure 12, which shows that caries occurs under conditions relating to the tooth itself, sugars present in food and drinks, and the oral environment. This paper discusses dental caries in the Scottish context, describing its aetiology, prevalence rates, policy, dental public health programmes and future directions. Dental plaque forms
Electronically Published SUMJ ‐ 003 Chambers S (2012). Public Health & Dental Caries in Young Children in Deprived Communities in Scotland
Public Health and Dental Caries in Young Children in Deprived Communities in Scotland
Stephanie Chambers (Research Fellow, Oral Health and Health Research Programme, Dental Health Services and Research) Correspondence to: Stephanie Chambers : s.a.chambers@dundee.ac.uk
ABSTRACT
Dental caries is the most prevalent disease worldwide, and is caused by a complex interaction of tooth susceptibility, nutrition and the oral environment. In young children it can have a major impact on their quality of life, and is the main reason why Scottish children are admitted to hospital. There have been dramatic improvements in Scottish children’s oral health. This has been enabled through the introduction of Childsmile, the national oral health programme for Scottish children. Nevertheless, significant challenges exist in reducing oral health inequalities. This paper calls for a greater emphasis on the social determinants of health to ensure that all Scottish children have the benefit of good oral health. Key Words: public health; dentistry; oral health
Introduction
Dental caries, also known as tooth decay, affects the vast majority of adults and 60‐90% of children in industrialized countries1. It has a complex aetiology as demonstrated in figure 12, which shows that caries occurs under conditions relating to the tooth itself, sugars present in food and drinks, and the oral environment. This paper discusses dental caries in the Scottish context, describing its aetiology, prevalence rates, policy, dental public health programmes and future directions. Dental plaque forms