British Society of Paediatric Dentistry: a policy document on management of caries in the primary dentition

Abstract

Dental caries is still one of the most prevalent diseases of children in the United Kingdom. Although a significant decline in caries experience in children has been observed over the last few decades, this improvement ceased in the primary dentitions of younger children in the early 1980s and since then the only change has been an increasing polarisation with more of the disease occurring in a smaller proportion of the population. This situation has been compounded by a reduction in the proportion of dental caries treated by fillings, particularly in the younger age groups. The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry believes that dental services in the United Kingdom are failing to meet the needs of many younger children and urgent steps must be taken to improve the standard of dental health among this vulnerable group.