Caries in children: improvements, but still a lot to do!

Caries in children: improvements, but still a lot to do!

The dental health of children in Austria has improved slightly. Current data show that 42 percent of six and seven-year-olds suffer from caries, which corresponds to a decline compared to 2016 with 45 percent. Despite this positive development, there are very regional differences in caries prevalence, which will range from 28 percent in Tyrol up to 54 percent in Lower Austria. In Carinthia and Burgenland, the caries rate is 41 and 49 percent. It is particularly striking that the caries experience is strongly correlated with the parent's level of education, whereby children from households with a lower level of education are more often affected. Around 25 percent of the children have a migration background, and only 43 percent of the parents have a tertiary education.

Another alarming point is that 29 percent of children need dental help due to untreated milk toothed caries. The degree of renovation, i.e. the proportion of filled milk teeth of carious milk teeth, remains consistently low at 28 percent. In addition, the number of children with tooth melt-forming disorders, such as the Molaren-incisive hypomeralization (MIH), increases, which now accounts for 13 percent of the children affected. There is therefore an urgent need for comprehensive research on the causes and adequate care strategies.

regional differences and risk factors

The differences in caries prevalence regionally also show in the parents' educational patterns. Children whose parents have a maximum level of secondary levels have a significantly higher caries rate than those with parents who have a higher level of education. According to an investigation in Germany, the early childhood caries remains a serious problem despite a general decline in caries prevalence, which reinforces risk factors such as inadequate education, socio -economic status and language barriers.

In Germany, for example, data from the German Working Group for Youth Dental Care stated that 74 percent of six -year -olds had no caries on milk teeth, but only 46 percent of ten -year -olds. Early childhood caries can have serious consequences such as painful abscesses and early loss of milk tooth, which can also cause language development disorders and orthodontic problems.

preventive measures and their implementation

The need for preventive measures is undisputed. However, these are not available across the board in many kindergartens. The Covid 19 pandemic has further tightened the situation. Early detection investigations that have been part of the service catalog of statutory health insurance since July 2019 are not yet adequately used by the families. Around 15 percent of children up to six years have never had a visit to the dentist.

It is required that educational measures for oral health begin during pregnancy. In a 1985 survey, it turned out that about 50 percent of pregnant women did not visit a dentist; In 2005 it was still every third case. Improved interdisciplinary cooperation between gynecologists, pediatricians and dentists is crucial to improve the communication channels to families and thus promote the dental health of the children.

global trends and challenges

The problem of caries in childhood is not just a local, but a global health problem. Studies show that around 50 percent of preschool children suffer from caries worldwide. The prevalence varies greatly between different countries, from 11.4 percent in Sweden up to 64 percent in India. Caries -resulted usually from a microbial dysbiosis that leads to increased acid production in the mouth.

treatment methods vary depending on the severity of the tooth decay and range from preventive measures to invasive interventions. In particular, the Hall technology, which impresses with its low level of intervention, is becoming increasingly important. Future research should focus more on new technologies for the treatment and prevention of caries in children.

Overall, it can be seen that while progress has been made, there is still a lot of work ahead of us to improve the dental health of children. Further research and prevention measures are urgently required.

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