Practice abstract
British Dental Journal 200, 551 - 556 (2006)
Published online: 27 May 2006 | doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.4813586
The reported impact of oral condition on children in the United Kingdom, 2003
N M Nuttall1, J G Steele2, D Evans3, B Chadwick4, A J Morris5 & K Hill6
- There was a small proportion of children in the UK in 2003 who were reported to have experienced some effect on their social functioning, general health or life overall as a result of their oral condition.
- The assessment of the subjective impact of oral health in the 2003 survey has enabled us to consider how children appear to be affected by their oral condition.
- On the whole, most children in the UK in 2003 appear to have been unhampered by their oral condition.
Children's Survey
- The dentinal caries experience of children in the United Kingdom, 2003
- Non-carious tooth conditions in children in the UK, 2003
- Patterns of care and service use amongst children in the UK, 2003
- Oral health habits amongst children in the United Kingdom in 2003
- The reported impact of oral condition on children in the United Kingdom, 2003
- The orthodontic condition of children in the United Kingdom, 2003
Abstract
Background The 2003 Children's Dental Health Survey is the fourth in a series of decennial national children's dental health surveys of the United Kingdom.
Aims This paper is concerned with how children are reported to have been affected by their oral condition during the 12 month period immediately preceding the survey and how this relates to the children's experience of caries, their dental attendance behaviour and their social class.
Method The information was gathered by self-completion questionnaire distributed to the parents of half of the sample who were clinically examined in the dental survey.
Results Some form of impact was reported by the parents of 22% of five-year-olds, 26% of eight-year-olds, 34% of 12-year-olds and 28% of 15-year-olds. The pattern of responses to the eight impact questions was broadly similar across age groups. The most frequently reported type of impact was pain in all age groups. Impacts on oral function, self-confidence, orally related activity and on the child's emotions were experienced by 4-10% of children of all ages. Fewer children (1-2%) were reported to have experienced more far reaching impacts affecting their social functioning, general health and life overall.
Conclusions Most children were reported not to have experienced any of the problems covered by the questionnaire. Of those who did, most reported a single problem and for most this was pain. Nevertheless there was a group of children for whom oral function, self-confidence, orally related activity, emotions, social functioning, their health or their life in general were reported to have been affected by their oral condition. The nature of dental care which is appropriate for such children needs to be determined.
- Reader in Dental Public Health & Health Psychology, University of Dundee
- Professor of Oral Health Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
- Consultant in Dental Public Health, Newcastle & North Tyneside Health Authority
- Reader in Paediatric Dentistry, Cardiff University
- Lecturer in Dental Public Health, University of Birmingham
- Lecturer in Behavioural Science, University of Birmingham
Correspondence to: N M Nuttall1
Section of Dental Public Health & Health Psychology, Dundee Dental Hospital & School, Park Place, Dundee DD1 4HR
e-mail: n.m.nuttall@dundee.ac.uk
