Screening school children for tooth decay should be scrapped because it does not improve dental health according to the results of a recent Oral Health Unit (OHU) study. The study has led to a possible change in government policy regarding the dental care of all school children in England and Wales.

The study looked at the dental care of school children in England and Wales

The OHU undertook a randomised control trial of 17,000 children to find out if screening reduced untreated tooth decay and increased dental attendance of children in the whole population.

Results showed that only a quarter of children who were identified as having decay in their permanent teeth went on to receive appropriate treatment. Whilst higher numbers of children from disadvantaged backgrounds had tooth decay, more children from affluent backgrounds with decay visited the dentist and received treatment after being screened at school.

OHU Operational Director, Dr Keith Milsom, said, “These results are important. We found no differences in increases in tooth decay levels in either the first or permanent teeth in children who did and did not receive screening. Also school dental screening in an area where NHS dentistry for children was freely available did not improve dental attendance. It is also probable that the screening programme may even exacerbate inequalities in the use of dental services.”

The UK National Screening Committee has now recommended to the UK Chief Dental Officers that there is no evidence to support the continued use of dental screening. New guidance was issued to the NHS in January 2007 recommending that PCTs consider whether or not to continue local screening programmes and, if not, how best to address inequalities in oral health in other ways and use resources more effectively.