Half of young children have tooth decay

About half of all young children have holes in their teeth, the latest snapshot of the nation's dental health shows.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found 40 per cent of children aged between four and five and 60 per cent of six- to eight-year-olds had cavities in their temporary, or baby, teeth, in 2006.

More than half of all 15-year-olds had cavities in their permanent teeth compared with just one per cent of five-year-olds.

The AIHW report said untreated decay was the most common reason why children aged five to eight had holes in their teeth, while nine-year-olds had the most number of fillings.

It also painted an unflattering picture of the inside of adults' mouths.

Nearly a third of 25- to 44-year-olds had untreated tooth decay, the main cause of tooth loss, compared with a quarter of people aged over 65.

Men were more likely not to treat their rotting teeth compared with women, 28 per cent to 23 per cent.

Those living in remote areas also had higher rates of untreated decay (38 per cent) compared with city dwellers (24 per cent) and those with health insurance (19 per cent).

By 2010, one-fifth of adults over 65 had none of their natural teeth left, with nearly half wearing dentures.

More than three-quarters of children and half the number of adults visited a dentist in the previous year.

Half had private health insurance to help cover the cost of their treatment.

But despite the high number of trips to the dentist, a quarter of adults weren't happy with the appearance of their teeth.

The report also showed that Australians were spending more than ever on dental care.

The total amount spent by individuals, governments and health insurance companies rose 13 per cent to $7.7 billion in 2009/10 from the previous year.

Individual patients accounted for most of the spending, forking out $4.7 billion.