Oral health: children - trend data (Obvious decay experience)

Trends in no obvious decay experience

Chart 1a [30Kb] shows the percentage of Primary 7 (11-year-old) children in Scotland with no obvious decay experience from 2005 to 2023. In 2023, 81.9% of P7 children had no obvious decay experience, a marked improvement since 2005 (52.9%).

Chart 1b [44Kb] shows the percentage of Primary 1 (5-year-old) children in Scotland with no obvious decay experience from 1988 to 2020. In 2020, 74% of P1 children had no obvious decay experience, a marked improvement since 1988 (42%). Surveys of 5-year-olds provide the most sensitive barometer of change in the oral health of the population.

Number of decayed, missing or filled teeth per child

Chart 2a [27Kb] shows the trend in the mean number of decayed, missing or filled teeth per child (D3MFT) for Primary 7 children in Scotland from 2005 to 2023. There has been a continuing decline (improvement), decreasing from 1.29 in 2005 to 0.36 in 2023.

Chart 2b [49Kb] shows the trend of continuing decline (improvement) in d3mft for Primary 1 children in Scotland, decreasing from 2.76 in 2003 to 1.04 in 2020.

Data sourced from the National Dental Inspection Programme NDIP publications - Primary 7 (2023) and Primary 1 (2020). PHS did not publish an NDIP report in 2021 as the programme was paused in March 2020 and did not take place in the academic year 2020/21. NDIP was partially remobilised for the academic year 2021/22 and an abbreviated report was published in October 2022.