National Child Oral Health Study

Optimal prevention and treatment of child dental disease, that in turn will improve child social and emotional wellbeing, school performance and economic productivity in the long term, requires appropriate healthcare systems, organisational governance, infrastructure and resources that are evidence-based from large, representative longitudinal studies and economic modelling.

Aims

The purpose of the second National Child Oral Health Study (NCOHS-2) is to provide robust, national-level evidence that will guide policy on improving child oral health and dental service delivery that is relevant for all Australian children and their families. The overarching aim is to answer complex questions involving child oral health, social and emotional wellbeing, school performance and economic productivity that will guide policy on improving child oral health that is relevant for all Australian children.

The specific aims are to:

• Evaluate changes in the prevalence and extent of oral diseases in the Australian child population and socioeconomic sub-groups since the first National Child Oral Health Study in 2012-14 (NCOHS-1).
• Follow up NCOHS-1 participants who consented to be recontacted in NCOHS-2 to ascertain long-term outcomes, such as school performance and social and emotional wellbeing.
• Estimate the projected burden of child oral disease from 2012-14 (NCOHS-1) and 2023-25 (NCOHS-2) and its impact on economic productivity over the life course, and to estimate efficacy and cost-effectiveness of targeted programs to high risk child groups. 

Approach

We will undertake oral epidemiological examinations and obtain questionnaire data on approximately 32,000 Australian children aged 5 to 14 years to provide information on the current state of child oral health in Australia. This information will contribute to evaluating changes in the prevalence and extend of oral diseases in the Australian child population since the first national Child Oral Health Survey, 2012-14 (NCOHS-1).

The study will contact a sample of NCOHS-1 participants, now aged 16 to 25 years, to assess the impact of child oral health on adult health and wellbeing, providing a unique opportunity to compare against data from NCOHS-1 to test, model, evaluate and disseminate evidence that will enable important questions around child oral health, social and emotional wellbeing, school performance and economic productivity.

Significance

Regular monitoring and surveillance of child oral health at a representative, national level is a key performance indicator of the 2015-2024 National Oral Health Plan in order to facilitate timely policy and planning of each state and territory’s dental public health sector.

Evidence shows that dental problems among school children are associated with shyness, unhappiness, feelings of worthlessness, and reduced ability to make friends. Linking the impact of poor dental health on Australian child school performance, and social and emotional wellbeing across time, using large, nationally representative data will lead to crucial insights regarding this prevalent and preventable childhood condition.