More than 5,500 school students are taking part in a University of Queensland (UQ) project delivered in collaboration with Queensland Health and the Department of Education.
Loc Do, from UQ’s School of Dentistry, said the study would gather valuable information on childhood rates of dental decay and disease, as well as behaviour and attitudes to oral health.
He said results from the State-wide Queensland Child Oral Health Study would be compared to the outcomes of a similar project conducted from 2010 to 2012, to find out if oral health among Queensland children had changed over the past 10 years.
“The previous study found a third of five-and-six year-old children had never visited a dentist, over a quarter of six-to-14 year-olds had decay in their permanent teeth and only three-quarters of children brushed their teeth the recommended twice a day,” Professor Do said.
Minister for Education, Grace Grace welcomed the study and said the health and wellbeing of students was a priority.
“Schooling provides opportunities and environments that support young Queenslanders to make healthy lifestyle choices, and this research will help inform that,” Ms Grace said.
Acting Chief Dental Officer, Ben Stute said oral health was fundamental to overall health and wellbeing, influencing self-esteem, nutrition, speech and sleep.
“Tooth decay is a leading cause of pain, discomfort and infection and it can affect children’s development and quality of life — and while tooth decay and gum diseases are common, they are largely preventable,” Dr Stute said.
The study is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and supported by Clinical Excellence Queensland.
