A LEADING expert has claimed that the standard of dental awareness and care in young Irish children is poor and a tendency towards sugary foods and drinks causes high levels of tooth decay.
Dr Anne O'Connell, consultant in paediatric dentistry at Trinity College, said the care of children's teeth was not taken seriously enough by parents and this leads to early tooth deterioration and associated problems.
Referring to comparative European studies undertaken over the past few years, she said only 5 per cent of Irish children under five years brushed twice a day, with less than 40 per cent doing so under parental supervision.
"Parents think that children at that age cannot shower or bath on their own but they don't seem to hold the same view in relation to brushing of teeth. It is essential that they are encouraged to brush regularly and thoroughly but this is not being done to the extent that it should."
She cited a survey, Health Inequalities in Childhood, which was conducted a few years ago and which included information from 17 European countries. "This looked at various aspects of healthcare in children generally and Ireland came quite low down in the list," she added.
"Despite the fact that this has been highlighted many times, Irish people are still not making the connection between consumption of fizzy drinks, juices and sports drinks, and tooth damage," she said.
"There also is an erroneous view that the consumption of diet drinks is somehow quite safe for teeth but even though there is no sugar in them they are still very bad and can be just as detrimental to teeth as the others."
She also cited late access to dental care as a problem for Irish children and said that attending a dentist seemed to be seen as something of a last resort in the Republic rather than something routinely done as part of a proper system of care for their teeth.
Her comments come after the findings of a UK survey by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) showed many inadequacies in dental care among children under five.
The survey was carried out among 1,000 respondents and highlighted much parental ignorance of causes of tooth decay in children as well as a general lack of awareness of the need to brush teeth frequently.
A quarter of parents thought children did not need to brush twice a day, while more than two-thirds thought brushing for one minute was enough even though two minutes at least twice a day is recommended by experts.
The survey results also showed that 23 per cent of parents did not regard consumption of fizzy drinks as linked to tooth deterioration, despite consistent warnings from the dental profession.
Dr Nigel Carter, BDHF chief executive, said the results were very worrying and helped to explain why about half of children under the age of five in the UK have tooth decay.
He stressed the importance of teaching children good dental hygiene habits. "Not only has research shown that people who learn good habits as children are far more likely to carry them into adulthood, but taking bad habits into adulthood will cause gum disease."