We investigated the oral health status of 424, eight and nine year-old, North York children using the results of a clinical examination and a parent interview. Examination results revealed that 35% of the children were free of any evidence of dental caries, 71 % had no or mild malocclusion, 68% were free of dental fluorosis, and 71 % had no periodontal problems. The majority of the untreated dental decay (65%) was found in a minority of the children (10%). The results are consistent with results of the Ontario Children's Dental Health Survey and are comparable to other areas of North America, as well as other parts of the world. Subjective measures of the children's oral health, as reported by their parents, suggest that the oral health of these children was satisfactory.
When subjective and clinical measures of oral health were compared we found that children with dental decay were more likely to have experienced tooth pain over the past four weeks. We also found that parents were less likely to be satisfied with the appearance of their child's teeth if their child had moderate to severe fluorosis or any signs of malocclusion.The Community Dental Health Services Research Unit (CDHSRU) is a joint project of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto and the Dental Division, North York Public Health Department. It is supported by a grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health (#04170)
