Oral health of Hong Kong children: a historical and epidemiological perspective

To provide a historical and epidemiological overview of the oral health of Hong Kong children. Literature published before 2014 related to the oral health of Hong Kong children, supplemented with information accessed from government-archived oral health reports, was sourced using electronic database...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hong Kong medical journal = Xianggang yi xue za zhi 2016-08, Vol.22 (4), p.372-381
Main Authors: Lee, G Hm, Pang, H N, McGrath, C, Yiu, C Ky
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Child
Dental Care
Dental caries
Dental Caries - epidemiology
Dental Enamel
Dental occlusion
Dentistry
Dentists
Fluoridation
Fluorides
Fluorosis, Dental - epidemiology
Health education
Health Policy
Health surveys
Hong Kong - epidemiology
Humans
Malocclusion - epidemiology
Oral Health
Oral hygiene
Preschool children
Prevention
Public health
Teenagers
Teeth
Trends
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Summary:To provide a historical and epidemiological overview of the oral health of Hong Kong children. Literature published before 2014 related to the oral health of Hong Kong children, supplemented with information accessed from government-archived oral health reports, was sourced using electronic databases and hand searches. Dental caries experience, periodontal health, enamel defects, and malocclusion of Hong Kong children were reviewed. A decline in the prevalence and extent of dental caries was observed among Hong Kong schoolchildren and adolescents after the 1960s. Among preschool children, however, dental caries remains common and the extent appears to have increased. The periodontal health of Hong Kong children remains unsatisfactory. Recently, enamel defects/dental fluorosis have considerably reduced. Information about malocclusion in Hong Kong children is limited. Since the 1960s, following public health policies, health promotion activities, and the introduction of a School Dental Care Service, improvements in the oral health of schoolchildren are evident. Nonetheless, the oral health of preschool children remains a concern. Policies and practices to improve the oral health of preschool children in Hong Kong are required.
ISSN:1024-2708
2226-8707
DOI:10.12809/hkmj154686