The tooth decay rate has gone up for schoolchildren in southern Alberta’s Chinook Region Health Authority, says staff member Coral Grant.
The Chinook region tests the mouths of every Grade 1 and 2 student each year. The results are sent home to parents so that they can follow up with dental care. But since the region started testing in 1995, tooth decay has risen. Grant said that is the trend across Canada and it is likely because of economics and the cancellation of public dental health programs.
She also said there is no consistency within Alberta. Some regions screen less often than Chinook, some check only high-risk schools, while others have no dental programs.
Results from Chinook’s1995 screening show 30 to 50 percent of all Grades 1 and 2 students had untreated dental decay and only 38 percent were cavity free. The rates of decay were higher in rural schools. Grade 1 students averaged 2.5 decayed teeth; Grade 2 had 2.7.
Results from the most recent 1998-99 screening showed a similar pattern with Grade 1 students averaging 2.7 cavities and Grade 2 students 2.9, with rural students slightly worse and the city students slightly better.
