National Dental Inspection Program (NDIP) 2017 Report

Posted by: Gregor Preston - Posted on:

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The National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) is carried out annually with the support and approval of the Scottish Dental Epidemiology Co-ordinating Committee.

Two school year groups are involved: i) at entry into Local Authority schools in primary one (P1) and ii) in primary seven (P7) before the move to secondary education. The Inspection Programme has two levels: a Basic Inspection (intended for all P1 and P7 children) and a Detailed Inspection (where a representative sample of either the P1 or the P7 age group is inspected in alternate years). 

This year’s report focuses on the results of the Detailed Inspection of P7 school children in school year 2016/17 (noted as 2017 throughout the report)

Main points

  • Three quarters (77%) of P7 children had no obvious decay experience in their permanent teeth in 2017. This is a large improvement over the past decade (53% in 2005).
  •  The average number of P7 children’s teeth affected by obvious decay experience in 2017 is 0.49. This is less than half of the average number of teeth affected in 2005 (1.29).
  • Only 65.6% of P7 children had no obvious decay experience in the most deprived areas compared with 86.5% in the least deprived areas. (Note: no obvious decay experience means there are no obviously decayed, missing or filled teeth).
  • The Care Index has fallen from 55% in 2015 to 51% in 2017.

Further details are available in the Full and Summary reports.

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