by Dr Rachel Hall B.Ch.D (Uni Leeds), LDSRCS(Eng), MACNEM, Dental Surgeon, Brisbane, Australia
I graduated from dental school having been told that due to advances in preventive care most of my career would be spent replacing failed fillings, doing routine maintenance and cosmetic work as the need to treat dental decay or perform root canal treatments and extractions would be greatly reduced. However, 20 years later I find that I am performing more extractions than ever before, doing more and more root canal procedures and dealing with rampant dental decay and gum disease in all ages. Anecdotally I feel that dental disease is actually on the increase and appears to be more widespread, severe and aggressive. Dental decay rates in children in Australia have increased progressively since the 1990s according to a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1,2). It is well documented that poor socio-economic status and poor oral health are linked, and the statistics do speak for themselves (3). However, it is not just the financially disadvantaged who are presenting with increased prevalence of dental problems, it is happening across all levels of income and background.
Why is this? We all know that sugar consumption is linked to dental decay (4,5,6,7,8).
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