HBA's recent membership data showed that children under five years had the lowest dentist visitation rates, with only 18 percent visiting a dentist in the past financial year. This is despite the Australian Dental Association's recommendation that children should visit the dentist every six to twelve months from the age of one to prevent dangerous tooth decay(2).

Of those under five who did visit a dentist, three percent had one or more teeth removed and more than 20 percent received an average of three fillings.

HBA Dental Advisor, Dr Peter Clarke said a child's access to regular dental care was critical in the prevention of dental disease and to treating disease in its early stages.

"Early prevention - through diet, correct brushing practices and regular dental check-ups can reduce the effects of oral disease so it is alarming that so many children are not visiting the dentist regularly," Dr Clarke said.

HBA's analysis of children who visited a dentist in the past financial year showed that:

• more than 36 percent of children under 25 received a filling, with an average of three fillings each
• 38 percent of children aged six to 10 years received a filling
• 66 percent of young adults aged 21 to 24 received an average of 2.8 fillings each
• children aged 16 to 20 had the highest average number of teeth removed - three
• more than 23 percent of young adults aged 21 to 24 years had an average of two teeth removed by a dentist
• only four percent of children under 25 received a custom-made mouthguard for protection when playing contact sports
In the past three years the number of children under 25:

• requiring fillings has increased by 10 percent
• having a tooth removed increased by 5 percent
• Children under 25 who did visit the dentist in the past financial year, did so on average 3.5 times and were treated with an average of four dental procedures at each visit.

"Primary school children may visit a school dental clinic, but this isn't as common in the pre-school and secondary years," he said.

The Child Dental Health Survey reported that over 40 percent of 12 year olds have some history of decay in their permanent teeth - that is, one or more decayed, missing or filled permanent teeth(3)
"Increased consumption of non-tap water drinks, for instance soft drinks - which may be both acidic and sugary - or bottled water - which does not contain fluoride - are major factors in the high level of tooth decay in children," Professor Spencer said.

"The massive increase in decay is disappointing because it begins to reverse 25 years of improvement in dental health after fluoride was introduced to water systems in the early 1970s," he added.

HBA's General Manager of Corporate Development, Mark Engel said HBA was aiming to reverse the declining oral health among Australian children.

"Visiting a dentist regularly is a key way to prevent dental disease, so from now on HBA will cover general and major dental procedures for children under 25 at more than 900 Members First dentists," Mr Engel said.

HBA's new dental benefit covers more than 250 dental procedures such as cleaning, examinations, fillings and x-rays, possibly saving a family of two children an average of $276 a year(4) on out of pocket costs.

"This new dental benefit means HBA now provides the most comprehensive dental cover for Australian families, allowing children to visit the dentist more regularly," Mr Engel said.

HBA is Australia's third largest health fund, covering more than one million Australians, with a national market share of 10.3 per cent. HBA is the second largest private health fund in Victoria with 22.9 per cent market share. The fund operates as Mutual Community in the Northern Territory and South Australia - where it is market leader with 43.6 per cent market share.

Footnotes:

1. Australia's Health 2006, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006.
2. Delivery of Oral Health Care Special Groups: Children Policy Statement, Australian Dental Association Inc.
3. The Child Dental Health Survey, Australian Research Centre for Oral Health, 2001
4. HBA - Average out of pocket cost $46 per dental visit, 3 visits per year, children under 25 years, General and Major Dental