Frequently Asked Questions

If your child was randomly selected to take part in this Study, please complete the consent form and questionnaire provided to you by Services Australia.

Alternatively, you can complete the consent form and questionnaire online now using the ID number located on the consent form.

Start Questionnaire

The aim of the National Child Oral Health Study is to gather information on the oral health of Australian children aged 5-14 years. This information, which will be collected from almost 20,000 school-aged children, will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of dental services and factors that influence the oral health of children in Australia. Information collected will also assist in the future planning of dental services and identify risk factors for oral disease in Australian children.

Your child was selected at random from the Medicare database by Services Australia. This allows researchers to capture data from a representative sample of Australia's child population aged 5-14 years.

Participation in this Study involves completion of a questionnaire by the parent/guardian and a dental examination of your child. A specially trained Dental Therapist or Dentist will conduct the dental examination of your child at your local dental therapy centre or mobile clinic. The questionnaire contains questions about your child's dental practices, dietary intake, use of dental services, general health and household demographics.

This Study will provide essential information of Australia’s child dental health that can be used to develop new programs and policies aimed at improving child dental health.

The information from this Study will be important for planning dental care for all Australian children. As such, your family’s involvement will make a substantial contribution that will continue to benefit children many years after your input and participation.

The examination involves looking at your child’s mouth and teeth to record information on your child’s teeth.

Your child, if you consent to their participation, will have a dental examination on school grounds by a specially trained Dental Therapist or Dentist, fully registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). The dental examination will take approximately 30 minutes and is similar to a standard dental check-up.

The dental examination Dentist/Dental Therapist will use a single-use disposable mouth mirror, a sterilised dental explorer/probe and an air/ water spray using a sterilised tip. Stringent infection control protocols will be followed. No dental x-rays or treatment will be provided.

After the dental screening, your child will receive a form in a sealed envelope to let you know the results of the examination. Children who have a dental examination will receive a Colgate gift pack containing dental products (i.e., toothpaste, toothbrush) as a thank you for their participation.

You are welcome to be with your child during their examination. Please liaise with your local state-based appointment coordinator who will contact you in regard to your child's appointment time.

The study is separate to appointments that are provided by your state public dental service. The dental practitioners conducting examinations for the study are trained to record information on your child’s mouth and teeth that is not recorded in a normal public dental service visit.

In order to capture a representative sample of Australian children's oral health, the study needs to assess information from all children, including those that visit a private Dentist. It is important to gain understanding of experiences, levels of disease and characteristics of children who attend all sorts of dental clinics.

No treatment services will be provided as part of the study. Your child will receive a form after their examination to let you know the results and if any treatment or follow-up is required.

Please refer to the table below for public dental services available in your state/territory.

Every question is important to enable researchers at ARCPOH, the University of Adelaide, to develop a representative picture of the oral health of the Australian child population. It is important to complete the questionnaire to the best of your ability, as even an incomplete form may still be useful.

If there is a question which presents particular difficulty for you, or you are uncertain about, please ring FREECALL 1800 125 794 for advice and clarification.

Australia is made up of many different types of households. Collecting information about the child’s household lets us know whether we are getting information from enough different types of households to reflect the population of children in Australia. Having a good cross-section of households reflected in our data will make it more accurate and meaningful to the whole of the country.

Only the research team directly involved with the project will see the information provided by you. All documents will be maintained in a secure environment and de-identified. No results of the study will refer to individuals, the results published will only refer to different age and community groups.

If you have any questions about the project please telephone the study coordinator, Ms Nikkita Dodds, on 1800 125 794 (toll free) or send an email to ncohs@adelaide.edu.au.

The study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Adelaide (approval number H-2023-140) and the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) HREC (approval number 2023/HREA00240). Approval has also been received from individual state and territory Health Departments and the Department of Education.

This research project will be conducted according to the NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2007 (Updated 2018). If you have questions or problems associated with the practical aspects of your participation in the project, or wish to raise a concern or complaint about the project, then you should consult the Principal Investigator, Professor Lisa Jamieson, on +61 8 8313 5438.

If you wish to speak with an independent person regarding concerns or a complaint, the University’s policy on research involving human participants, or your rights as a participant, please contact the Human Research Ethics Committee’s Secretariat on:

Phone: +61 8 8313 6028

Email:    hrec@adelaide.edu.au