Parents Assign Low Grades to Status of Children’s Oral Health

When asked to assign grades to the status of their children’s oral health as a part of the Children’s Oral Health Survey, parents are not handing out high marks. Only 21% of parents nationwide gave their kids an excellent bill of oral health.

Views of their young ones’ oral health tend to diminish over time as parents relinquish control of kids’ brushing and flossing habits, according to the study. For example, while 30% of parents score children under 3 years old with having excellent oral health, that number declines to 21% for 3–5 years old, 17% for 6–9 years old, and 14% for 10–12 years old.

The main reasons parents cite for downgrading children’s oral health is not brushing enough (50%), not flossing enough (46%), and eating too many sweets (37%), according to the Delta Dental national survey. For more information, visit deltadental.com