Parent survey: 87% see kids’ oral health as vital
by Guy Hiscott
A recent survey revealed that 87% of parents believe oral health is important in the family.
Only 13% of respondents did not consider oral health of vital significance.
The survey also showed that 52% of parents take their children to the dentist at least once a year, and 35% only occasionally or when there is a problem, while 77% of parents visit the dentist at least once a year.
Moreover, 74% of children who visit the dentist for the first time are younger than seven years old. A total of 20% had not been taken to the dentist at all, and a fifth of children were reported to be scared about going to the dentist.
The survey was run in primary schools across Ireland by the Dental Den, an oral health promotion programme.
Commenting on getting parents involved in the initiative, Dental Den developer Kellie O’Shaughnessy said: ‘[…] parents have expressed a huge amount of interest in prevention, especially when they know it may save time, money and trauma in the future.’
The survey continued to look at childrens’ habits and dental assessments in school – 51% of children had not seen a dentist through the school system.
But 93% of respondents added that they would like access to easy-to-use visual resources to encourage their children to look after their teeth.
