Determinants of Recall Intervals in Children and Young People

Dental recall intervals based on clinical risk were promoted by a national guideline issued in 2004. This suggests that in children his should range between 3 and 12 months. The degree to which this has impacted on recall intervals in children and young people is unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to describe dental recall intervals in those aged <18 years old and to examine the factors influencing the interval between courses of treatment. Methods: Demographic data (age, gender, postcode) for patients aged <18 years who received National Health Service dental treatment in Wales between April 2008 and September 2010 were extracted from the database used to pay dental practitioners. Postcode data were used to determine the deprivation and rural/urban status of patients’ area of residence. The nature of treatment provided was also determined as was the time interval between courses of treatments. Results: In this 30 month period, 335,247 children - median age 10 years (IQR 8 years); 49.8% female; 65.8% living in urban areas – received two or more courses of dental treatment. The median time between courses of treatment was 7.0 months (IQR 4.0 months). The most common treatment pattern at successive courses of treatment was a simple dental check-up, the experience of 176,371 (52.6%) individuals. Ordinal regression analysis showed that these patients’ socioeconomic deprivation status, urban or rural classification, last course of treatment and gender were all significant predictors of recall interval. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that dental recall intervals are significantly influenced by socioeconomic deprivation status, urban or rural classification, last course of treatment and gender. Of those who had a least two courses of treatment in the period of the study, the large majority were seen within the 12 month recall interval recommended in the national guideline. This work was funded by NHS Wales.