Community health status report looks
at dental health of kindergarten children
Our report on health status
in the community for 2006 focused on the dental health of kindergarten children.
The results show that dental disease is a concern for some children in
Renfrew County and District.
Dental hygienists from the
Renfrew County and District Health Unit visited all kindergarten
classes in Renfrew County and District during the 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05
school years. Hygienists conducted the Dental Indices Survey (DIS) with all
children who were present on the day of their visit.
Some key findings from the
survey are:
- Almost 10% of five year olds had urgent dental
treatment needs. This means that some families are experiencing barriers to
dental treatment and good oral hygiene.
- Two thirds of the five year olds had never had a
cavity.
- The average number of teeth affected by caries is
an indicator of the overall dental health of a group of people. Five year olds
in this survey had an average of 1.7 teeth that were affected by caries.
The report recommends that
we continue and strengthen efforts to provide oral health education, identify
dental diseases early, and advocate for a more accessible public dental care
program.
To read the full report see
Community Health Status Report #13:
Dental Health of Kindergarten Children on our web site: www.rcdhu.com/communityhealthstatus/