News and Articles

An epidemic of childhood tooth decay

Children as young as 18 months are being forced to have thousands of dollars worth of dental work because of high levels of tooth decay. Some parents have spent as much as $5000 on crowns for children who are yet to start preschool.

A recent Australian study found that 48 percent of Australian children under the age of four suffered from untreated tooth decay, but only 10 percent had seen a dentist. Dr Philippa Sawyer of the Australian Dental Association (ADA) said: "If that many children had some other sort of disease, and remember that tooth decay is a disease, then it would be called an epidemic."

The President of the ADA, Dr Neil Hewsen, said the spread of sugary, acidic drinks and snacks aimed at children was largely to blame. Dr Hewsen said that the situation was so bad that a shock advertising campaign similar to those used for smoking and skin cancer is necessary to get the message across.

Oral Health Demonstration

Dr Thomas recently gave an oral health demonstration to a group of children from the Sandringham Kids Company daycare centre.

Dr Thomas is happy to visit kindergardens, schools and daycare centres to help educate children in good dental hygeine. Please call 9589 4472 if you are interested in having him visit your school or centre.