Summary of: Ethnic disparities in the oral health of three- to four-year-old children in East London

Key Points

• Findings will have profound implications for the commissioning of dental services and oral health promotion.

• Demonstrates a disparity between the oral health of Whites, Blacks and Asians.

• Reports that preschool children a White Eastern European background are at significantly higher risk of developing caries and having untreated caries than children from any other ethnic group.

Abstract

Aim To report ethnic differences related to caries experience among three- to four-year-old children living in three of the most deprived boroughs in the UK in Inner North East London: Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham.

Methods This cross-sectional survey used a cluster sampling study design following the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry protocol. Twenty nurseries from each borough were randomly selected and all three- to four-year-old children in selected nurseries were invited to participate (n = 2,434). Calibrated dentists examined children. Demographic information was obtained from schools.

Results One thousand, two hundred and eighty-five children were examined in 60 nurseries (response rate = 52.8%). Twenty-four percent of three- to four-year-old children had caries experience (mean dmft = 0.92). Few children (2.1%) had filled teeth. Children living in Hackney had significantly lower dmft scores (mean = 0.63) than children living in Newham (mean = 1.06) and Tower Hamlets (mean = 1.06). White European (mean = 1.91), Bangladeshi (mean = 1.05) and Pakistani (mean = 1.11) children had a significantly higher number of untreated carious teeth than White British children (mean = 0.56).

Conclusion Preschool children from a White Eastern European, Bangladeshi and Pakistani background are likely to experience significantly poorer oral health than their White British counterparts. These findings have profound implications for commissioning dental services and oral health promotion.

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