More than 50% of all 6-year-olds in Australia are affected by decay of their deciduous teeth, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, "The Child Dental Health Surveys Australia, 2005 and 2006," presents information on the oral health of Australian children attending a school dental service in 2005 and 2006. The results cover 193,457 children ages 4 to 15 in all states and territories except New South Wales and Victoria.
In 2006, roughly 40% of 4- to 5-year-olds had caries while 60% of 6- to 8-year-olds did. In the same year, 58% of 15-year-olds had caries.
While a typical Australian 6-year-old has just over two teeth affected by caries, 10% of them had about eight deciduous teeth affected, the AIHW noted. This was almost four times higher than the national average for this age group.
More than half of all 12-year-olds have no dental caries. However, among all 12-year-olds, the 10% of children with the most extensive history of caries in their permanent teeth had an average of almost five teeth affected by decay. This is about for times higher than the national average for 12-year-olds.
The cost of dental services also was examined in the report. From 2009-2010, Australians spent nearly $7.7 million on dental services, 13% more than the previous year. Individuals accounted for 61% of the total dental expenditure.
Per 100,000 people in 2006, there were 50.3 dentists, 5.7 dental therapists, 3.3 dental hygienists, 1.8 oral health therapists, and 4.4 prosthetists, the institute noted.
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