Half of 8-Year-Olds Have Caries

Almost half of eight-year-old kids and every third child of five have fallen teeth or fillings due to cavities. Kids can be so ashamed because of bad teeth that they stop smiling.

British Health and Social Care Information Centre has published statistics on the incidence of childhood caries. It turned out that in 2013 almost half of 8-year-olds and one in three 5-year-old children had serious problems with tooth decay. 46% of 15-year-olds and 34% of 12-year-olds suffer from severe tooth decay.

Overall, these data reflect the reduced incidence of childhood caries over the past 10 years. Doctors have found that some children are so much ashamed of having problems with teeth that they no longer smile or laugh. The research involving more than 13,500 children and the analysis of more than 10,000 visits to the dentist showed that caries was often diagnosed among the representatives of low-income families, who receive free lunches at school.

Thus, if caries incidence is 29% in the children from wealthy families, among the poor guys it rises above 40%. The same is true for adolescents with molars. Although the number of cases of tooth decay is reduced, experts still emphasize that the number of affected children is large enough.

It is noteworthy that only 38% of the children had completely healthy teeth without any trace of decay. The study also found that girls took better care of their teeth than boys. 69% of the boys aged 12 brushed their teeth twice a day, just as 85% of the girls.