More than half of Indigenous children between the ages of one and three have dental decay, but that is actually an improvement, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The Institute has released a report on the federally funded Stronger Futures program, which offers preventative dental programs such as fluoride varnish and fissure sealants, as well as clinical services such as check-ups, fillings and extractions.
The Institute’s spokesperson Tracy Dixon said the report showed small but important improvements in Indigenous dental health.
“We looked at children who had received services under the previous oral health program … and who had returned to receive services.
“We found the number of children who were receiving services for things like mouth infections, mouth sores, dental abscess, those kinds of problems, they had dropped significantly.”
Ms Dixon said the preventative measures had been shown to be effective in preventing dental decay in high-risk children.
Ms Dixon said the number of children who had experienced dental decay had dropped.
“In young children it dropped from 73 per cent in 2009 down to 56 per cent in the most recent year, so that’s a really good sign.”
For 12-year-olds, 81 per cent had tooth decay in 2009 but that was down to 67 per cent.
But the numbers are still too high, Ms Dixon said.
“The high rate is a concern but there is some evidence that it’s decreasing,” she said.
But she said a drop in the number of kids who were treated for at least one oral health problem, from 48 per cent to 45 per cent, showed there was less demand for services.
“The decline in the proportion of children who were treated for one or more oral health problems shows a gradual but promising trend in better oral health outcomes for Indigenous children who receive these services.”