Oral Health Improvement

Dental caries (tooth decay) is a significant public health problem in England. Sizeable inequalities in the incidence of caries exist between affluent and deprived communities, and it is a common cause of hospital admissions in children. An oral health improvement objective exists within the Public Health Outcomes Framework to reduce decay in children aged five. In order to impact on this indicator, oral health improvement needs to be directed to children and families in the pre-school environment to establish good oral habits and encourage healthy eating.