A report last month suggested that the children in Northern Ireland have the worst teeth in the UK, and now a new research project has been launched to try and treat tooth decay in the countries younger generation. About 1,200 children between the ages of two and four have been selected take part in medical trials that are the first of their kind in Western Europe. Health minister Edwin Poots will be overseeing completion of the initial testing stages this week.
Head of dental studies at the health board, Michael Donaldson, has commented that dental decay is a serious problem in the country, saying ‘this project is really trying to prevent disease among young children.’ He then went on to explain the trial process in a bit more detail; ‘What we are really doing is painting a little, thick varnish on teeth which contains fluoride and that will hopefully prevent dental decay developing. If it does develop, it can help reverse it.’
He also added that the problem of tooth decay tends to come from a combination of bad diet – such as sugary snacks and drinks – and bad oral hygiene, but he maintained that it is more important to provide treatment than apportion blame; ‘We don’t want to blame parents,’ he said, ‘we want to support them. This is why this trial, which is really another form of support of parents, is so important.’