Child Dental Health Differences in New Zealand

The School Dental Service provides regular dental care to 98 per cent of 5–13‐year‐old school children and 68 per cent of pre‐school children in New Zealand. Officially collected statistics are presented for the six main population areas showing: the dental status of all 12‐ and 13‐year‐old patients completing their final year of treatment, and the permanent tooth filling rates of all patients with permanent teeth (aged 6–13 years). These suggest that child dental decay differences are not closely related to the presence or absence of water fluoridation. Official census information on the above and other communities suggests that dental health differences could be related to demographic, especially socio‐economic, factors.