Dental health

In 2019 in Scotland, 80% of Primary 7 children had no obvious dental decay experience. However this varied between the health boards: the lowest proportion of children with no obvious decay experience was in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (76%) and the highest proportion was in NHS Orkney (94%). 

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From 2005 to 2019 there has been a continued 27% increase in the percentage of Primary 7 children with no obvious decay experience, with the largest increase (+6%) occurring in the period 2005-2007.  

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Since 2005 there has been a continued decline in the mean number of decayed, missing and filled permament teeth among the Primary 7 population. Among children with obvious decay experience, the mean number of decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth has shown continuous decline from 2.73 to 2.09 in the period 2005-2019. 

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in 2019, over two thirds (69%) of Primary 7 children in SIMD 1 (the most deprived quintile) showed no obvious decay experience compared to 88% of Primary 7 children in SIMD 5 (the least deprived quintile). In 2019 the absolute inequality between SIMD1 and SIMD5 was 18.6%: an improvement from 20.9% in 2017 and 21.5% in 2015. 

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Source: National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) 2019. Report of the 2019 detailed inspection programme of Primary 7 children and the basic inspection of Primary 1 and Primary 7 children. Information Services Division, 2019. 

Note

The National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) is carried out annually to track changes in the dental health of children in Scotland. Each year a basic inspection is carried out for all Primary 1 and Primary 7 children. Alternating each year, a detailed inspection is carried out with a representative sample of the Primary 1 or Primary 7 age group. The detailed inspection involves a comprehensive assessment of the mouth of each child where the status of each surface of each tooth is assessed in accordance with international epidemiological conventions. A tooth surface is only assessed as having ‘obvious decay’ if the disease process clinically appears to have penetrated dentine (i.e. the layer below the outer white enamel of the teeth). Full details of the National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) and complete reports can be found here.

For more information and statistics on childhood deprivation in Glasgow, see the poverty section of this site. For information from research about the effects of child poverty on child health and of child poverty on adult health, see the resources page of the health section