Oral health in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children: An age, period, and cohort analysis

Abstract

Oral health policy and funding must be informed by well-designed studies which monitor oral health and the factors which influence it. This study aimed to analyse the oral health of the Longitudinal Study of Australia Children (LSAC). The LSAC is a dual-cohort cross-sequential study run biennially since 2004. Carer-report measures for oral health were measured across six biennial waves and included frequency of tooth brushing, dental service use, and dental problems since the previous wave. A total of 10 090 Australian children participated at baseline (birth [B] n = 5017 and kindergarten [K] n = 4983). Most carers reported that children brushed daily and had regular access to dental care. Increasing age was a significant predictor of dental caries, whereas no differences were observed between time periods and cohorts. Dental caries was more frequently reported than dental injuries. Caries was highest at age eight for the B (n = 1234, 30.5%) and K (n = 1355, 31.5%) cohorts. By the age of six, caries prevalence had already begun to climb despite the majority of carers reporting good oral health behaviours for their children. Early intervention in the prevention of dental caries is essential, as children appear to attend dental services when caries is already occurring.