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Dentist in Perth: the Future of Dental Care Bodes Well for Australians

Announcement posted by 1300 Great Smile 18 Feb 2015

Dentist from Perth reveals why the next generations of adults could have better dental health than the current one.
Perth, WA, 18 February 2015 - At the end of 2014, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) produced a report on the state of dental health in Australia. The report was called, “Oral Health and Dental Care in Australia: Key Facts and Figures Trends 2014.” 

According to Dr Roy Sarmidi, a dentist from Perth: “The data in the study make a good case for the importance of regular dental care and the progress that has been made in the field. In particular, we cite the disparity of statistics from remote areas to major cities and the overall improvement of children’s statistics as proof that regular dental care is a must for preserving one’s teeth.”

Children’s Statistical Trends

From 1977 to 1995, the number of children’s baby teeth that were affected by tooth decay dropped, only to begin rising slightly from 1996-2010. The overall effect has been a decline in the number of teeth affected by decay. The numbers for 2010 showed that children aged 15 had an average of 2.63 decayed permanent teeth.

According to Dr Sarmidi: “It is important for children to avoid excess sugar and to start taking care of their teeth early. Unfortunately, it is difficult for a child to look into the future, 20 or 30 years down the road, and see the effects of neglecting their teeth now. However, there is great potential for the future due to advances in dentistry and better education regarding dental hygiene.”

Adult Trends

From 1987 to 2006, the average number of missing, decayed or filled teeth in adults decreased from 15 to 13. The numbers for missing teeth and decayed teeth declined, while the number of filled teeth remained steady.

One negative trend was that from 1994 to 2010, the percentage of those reporting that oral health issues affected their lives rose from 31.4% to 39.9%. There was a 4.5% rise in those who felt oral health issues were affecting their appearance and a 4.0% rise in those who had toothaches.

Remote Areas vs Major Cities

Due to having less access to dental care, those in remote areas reported more problems than those in major cities. This trend was across the board with virtually every metric used in the study. 37.6% in remote areas reported untreated tooth decay as compared to 23.5% in major cities. Remote areas also reported more gum disease than major cities, 36.6% to 22.1%.

Dental Care is Essential to Dental Health

According to Dr Sarmidi: “The bottom line is that those who go to the dentist more have better dental health. It is proven by the higher incidence of dental distress in remote areas, where there is less access to dental care.”

Dr Sarmidi concluded, “Take care of your teeth and your teeth will take care of you.”

1300 Great Smile offers dental care in Perth and Joondalup. They offer such services as pain free dentistry, sedation dentistry, dentures, dental veneers and emergency dental care from their Perth and Joondalup offices. To learn more about 1300 Great Smile, call 1300 Great Smile (1300 473 287) or visit their website: http://www.1300greatsmile.com.au/.