Dental survey of 5 year olds

Public Health England Dental Public Health Intelligence Programme.

National Dental Epidemiology Programme for England: Oral Health of five year old children 2016-2017

We are seeking your support for our NHS colleagues who will be carrying out the dental survey of five year old children over the next school year.

Tooth decay is a preventable disease. Toothache can cause pain, infection, difficulties with eating, sleeping and socialising and impacts on school readiness and school absence. Extraction of teeth under general anaesthetic remains one of the most common reasons for children to be admitted to hospital.

The national surveys provide benchmarking data that may be used by Local Authorities to plan and commission oral health improvement interventions and evaluate them. The surveys also inform national policy.

We have passed on your details to the very experienced local dental team at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (Warwickshire Special Care Dental Service) who will be undertaking the survey. They will be selecting schools at random to participate in the survey; if your school is selected they will make contact in due course. They will be able to discuss the practicalities of the survey including the process for consent for each child, and how to make it an enjoyable and positive experience for all involved.

We would be very grateful for your cooperation and support with this survey as the data collected will be very useful locally. If you have any questions about the survey, please direct them to the dental team (contact details below) in the first instance.

Warwickshire Special Care Dental Service,
Whitnash Lodge,
Leamington Hospital
Heathcote Lane,
Warwick
CV34 6SR
Tel: 01926 317778