Dental disease more common in deprived kids

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-05-05 03:00

New Zealand

Photo by Henrik Lagercrantz on Unsplash

Four out of ten New Zealand 5-year olds are affected by dental cavities. Researchers looked at data from two long-term studies, and found that despite overall improvements in oral health, the rate of tooth decay in 5 year olds in the 1970s-80s is similar to that in the 2000s. The authors say progress has stagnated among young kids in the past two years, and disease spread has shifted - so the worst disease is now found in a smaller group of the most deprived children. By identifying tooth decay in early childhood, public health actions could be targeted towards those most in need, says the team.

News release

From:

Journal/
conference: Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Otago

Funder: The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study is supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the US National Institute of Aging and the UK Medical Research Council. The age 45 data collection was supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council Programme Grant (16-604) and a Project Grant (15- 265), the US National Institute of Aging grant R01AG032282 and the UK Medical Research Council grant MR/P005918/1. The Christchurch Study is supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (Programme Grant, 16-600: ‘The Christchurch Health and Development Study: Birth to 40 Years’).

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.