Dental Awareness Fact Sheet

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DENTAL AWARENESS MONTH FACT SHEET

In August 2002, the Australian Dental Association Victoria Branch (ADAVB) will launch Dental Awareness Month

The themes for Awareness Month are "Dental Care for the Ageing" and "Dental Care for Different Ages"

The ADAVB has identified 3 main life stages where specific dental care needs to be considered: early childhood, late teens and older age
One of the major dental health issues for younger children is nursing decay
Nursing decay most commonly affects infants who are given a bottle of milk or a sweetened beverage to sleep with
Young children should have their first dental visit after their first tooth appears
Significant dental issues for teens include dental injury caused during contact sports
The ADAVB sees a drop in dental checkups in the 18 - 25 age group
The incidence of dental damage has increased with the increasing popularity of oral piercing.
The major oral health issues for older Australians include: normal physical and mental ageing, increased use of medications, irregular dental check ups, low or fixed incomes, impact of cultural diversity on dental care and rural isolation
By the late 90's Australians aged 65 and over who had no natural teeth was 34%. This compares to 80% of the same age group in the 1970's
Older Australians in residential care have three times more untreated decay than those living in the community
The ADAVB is encouraging older people and their carers to increase their knowledge and skills about basic oral care, preventative care and timely access to oral health care.