Dentists' views on dental care for youths in the Netherlands

Objectives: The dental health situation of youths in the Netherlands can be divided in two. On the one hand there is a larger group of youths with good oral health (± 80%) and on the other hand a smaller group with rather bad oral health (± 20%). To gain insight into dentists' views on dental care to youths the Dutch Dental Association (NMT) conducted research into this subject.

Methods: In May 2007 1,361 Dutch general practitioners (GDPs) were invited to participate in a web survey, 447 (33%) of whom responded. The data was analysed by using SPSS.

Results: According to 44% of the GDPs the incidence of caries in children with deciduous teeth has increased in their practice in the past five years. As for children in their practice with permanent teeth this percentage is 39%. Half (52%) of the GDPs say that they start with regular check-ups before or when the children are 2 years old. Others start when the children are 3 (40%), or 4 or older (8%). If necessary 13% begin with restorative treatment when the children are aged 2 or younger, 39% when the children are 3, 34% when they are 4 and 14% when they are 5 or over. When they have a child in the chair of under 6 with one or more cavities in its deciduous molars 38% state that in general they will always proceed with curative treatment. Almost half (48%) does so most of the time and 15% regularly or sometimes. The reasons most frequently mentioned for not treating (immediately) is that they want to prevent that fear of the dentist becomes great or greater, and the strategy of first aiming for stabilisation of the decay through education (to the parents).

Conclusion: The research information gathered offers the NMT starting-points for its policies to optimise dental health care to youths in the Netherlands.