No money currently available to support work to improve children's oral health

Public Health says action is 'absolutely necessary'

There is currently no money available to support any of the recommendations made in a new report which looks at improving the oral health of children on the Isle of Man.

Public Health has made a number of suggestions after data showed more than a quarter of five-year-old’s surveyed have decayed, missing or filled teeth.

The findings have been revealed in the Children’s Oral Health Report which has been published this month.

Oral Health

Oral health is the state of the mouth, teeth and structures which enable people to eat, breathe and speak.

Poor oral health is almost entirely preventable however Public Health says it remains a ‘significant public health concern’ on both the Isle of Man and in the United Kingdom.

“Overall oral health for five-year-olds in the Isle of Man does not appear to be improving and further work is absolutely necessary to prevent worsening oral heath for children.” – Public Health

Epidemiology survey data shows, for most measures of oral health, children on the Island have worse teeth than their counterparts in England as a whole.

For most measures the Island is comparable to the North West of England – an area with the poorest oral health outcomes.

Trends over time also indicate that children’s oral health on the Island is not improving.

Data Collection

Data was collected via an online questionnaire on oral health habits amongst reception and year one children and an epidemiology survey of 379 five-year-old children.

They took place in November 2023 and April/May 2024 respectively.

Analysis of the data identified four themes – toothbrushing, dental visits, eating and drinking habits and impact on parents/carers.

The findings highlight inequalities in toothbrushing habits and difficulties in accessing dentists.

Findings

• 26.6% of the children examined on the Isle of Man are experiencing poor oral health in the form of decayed, missing or filled teeth; this is higher than England’s average of 23.7%
• 19% of five-year-old’s surveyed brushed their teeth once a day or less
• 44% of five-year-old’s surveyed are not brushing their teeth twice a day
• 22% of children surveyed were on a waiting list for a dentist
• 15% of parents/carers had to take time off work in the last six months, from the survey, because of their child’s oral health
• 63% of parents/carers were satisfied with their child’s oral health
• Children whose parents/carers share custody of them are less likely to have a consistent toothbrushing regime

Prevention

Public Health says every child should have the opportunity to grow up free of tooth decay and believes preventative advice and intervention is essential in achieving this.

It adds that this is particularly important when ‘access to dental services is notably difficult’.

As of November 2024 there were 6029 people on the waiting list for an NHS dentist – 1874 of those were children.

Recommendations

Following the findings Public Health is recommending that a number of programmes are funded and delivered on the Isle of Man.

• Fluoride Varnish: Application, by a dental professional, is recommended twice-yearly to strengthen enamel and make teeth more resistant to decay and cavities.
• Smile of Mann: The continuation of the supervised toothbrushing programme, which has been run since 2018, is recommended.
• Data: The biennial epidemiology of five-year-olds is continued and extended to include 12-year-olds on alternating years.

However it says all of these suggestions would require funding in order to implement as there is ‘no budget available to support any of this work’.

Report:

You can read the full Children's Oral Health Report HERE.