Five-year-old children: changes in their decay experience and dental health related behaviours over four years

At the time of the 1989-90 survey of 5-year-old children, co-ordinated by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, a questionnaire about dental health behaviour was sent home to 2,390 parents in Salford and 2,098 in Trafford. The response rates were 78 per cent and 81 per cent respectively. The questionnaire was repeated for the 5-year-old survey in 1993-94 with the aim of finding out if there had been any changes: 2,794 parents were contacted in Salford and 2,343 in Trafford. The response rates were 75 per cent and 73 per cent. The percentage of children who were having their teeth brushed before they were aged one and who had visited a dentist by their second birthday rose in both districts. Campaigns at regional and district levels are thought to have influenced these improvements. The percentage of children who had experienced toothache and the proportion who had received a general anaesthetic for tooth extraction were similar in both years.