According to a new poll taken in May this year, more than three quarters of parents in Lincolnshire do not take their children to the dentist until they are at least one year old; 8% of those asked admitted that they didn’t even make an appointment until their child was over four years old.
Additionally, 12% of parents said that they did not consider the health of baby teeth to be as important as that of the adult teeth, and a massive 62% revealed that they did not even start brushing their child’s teeth until they reached one year of age.
The poll, undertaken by UK Denplan – a leading dental payment plan specialist – said that the results were in line with the amount of tooth decay present in children under the age of five. Deputy chief dental officer for the company Dr Henry Clover said that the statistics made for shocking reading and were almost certainly related to the increase in tooth decay among children in the area, describing the problem as ‘a contributing factor.’
Dr Clover went on to add that ‘the average age a child gains their first tooth is around six months old. Despite this being their first set of teeth, the development and importance of the baby teeth should not be overlooked.’ He also recommended that children visit the dentist as soon as their first tooth starts to appear, adding that dental teams can help with advice and information about how to look after the child’s teeth at home.