THE NATIONAL DIET AND NUTRITION SURVEY OF 1.5 TO 4.5 YEAR-OLD CHILDREN - SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF THE DENTAL SURVEY

A dental health survey was included as part of a large scale study of nutrition in preschool children. The survey was carried out in 1992/93 and was published in spring 1995. Information on dental hearth status and on dietary intake was gathered from a total of 1658 children from 100 geographical sectors in the United Kingdom. This article summaris es the main findings and highlights some of the most important finding s regarding dental health and its relationship to dietary factors. Sev enteen per cent of children had some caries experience and in 83% of c ases this was untreated. Dental decay was most strongly related to soc ial background, The factors most strongly related to caries prevalence were: receipt of income benefits, in the 1.5-2.5-year-old children; t he educational status of the mother in the 2.5-3.5-year-old children a nd social class of the head of household in the 3.5-4.5-year-old child ren. Consumption of sugary drinks at bedtime, children being left to b rush their teeth themselves, household expenditure on confectionery an d geographical region were also strongly associated with caries preval ence.