Summary
On average, 9.7% of Australian children experienced toothache and 12.8% avoided some foods because of oral problems. Some 16.7% of children experienced at least one of these impacts. Older children (aged 11-17) were more likely than younger children (aged 5-10) to experience either of these impacts.
Children who experienced an oral health impact in the last 12 months were more likely than children who did not to:
- have a perceived need for dental care reported by their parent
- have their oral health reported by their parent as fair or poor
- have parents who avoided or delayed visiting the dentist themselves due to cost
- be from families who report difficulty having to pay a $150 dental bill
- have parents who also experienced an oral health impact in the same period (particularly avoidance of some foods).