South Lakeland Health Improvement Plan - NHS Cumbria

Dental Health in ChildrenThe national targets for children’s oral health, set in 2003, are:• 70% of five-year-old children should have no experience of tooth decay• On average, five-year-old children should have no more than onedecayed, missing due to decayed or filled primary toothDental health is a good indicator of a child’s diet (linked to childhoodobesity ) and overall health. Poor dental health in children may contribute todental problems in later life through dental decay, gum disease andassociated problems with pain and infection.Dental health of children is measured by the DMFT Score (average no ofdecayed, missing or filled teeth). DMFT is collected on a 2 year basis, fromcluster samples in different schools at age 5.The national average DMFT is 1.49. Figure 20.1 shows how Cumbria andSouth Lakeland compare to this national figure. Children across Cumbriashow significantly worse dental health than the national average with a DMFTscore or 1.9 which is 0.41 higher than the national figure. South Lakeland alsohas a score of 1.9 which makes it an average performing district withinCumbria but poorly performing when compared to England.Figure 20.1) Number of decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) in Children aged 5 –2003/2004. Data Source: NCHOD2.52Cumbria: 1.91.5England: 1.49DMFT10.50Copeland Allerdale Eden SouthLakelandCarlisleBarrow20. Mental HealthMental health is linked to many factors which include physical health of aperson, quality of life/deprivation as well as the quality of the environment inwhich they live.South Lakeland Baseline Assessment 2009 44