A new study into how best to treat tooth decay could help to prevent emergency dentistry in the future, it is hoped.
The £1.1 million, three-year research – which will begin in early 2011 – is to look into the benefits and pitfalls of pit and fissure sealants and fluoride varnish.
It will be managed jointly by Cardiff University, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s Community Dental Service and Swansea University ad funded by the National Institute for Health Research.
This comes after it was found that 57 per cent of 15-year-olds still currently require a filling or extraction.
Professor Ivor Chestnutt, who is to lead the research, commented: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to carry out this study, the results of which will be of relevance to improving oral health, not just locally, but nationally and internationally.”
Earlier this month, IsleofMan.com reported that people on the island have the worst levels of tooth decay in the UK.