Children should have their first dental visit before their first birthday, however in Ireland, the average age of a child's first visit to the dentist, under the current national screening programme, is eight, Dr John Walsh, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at RCSI will tell an international dentistry conference in Dublin today.

The issue is being discussed by delegates at the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) Faculty of Dentistry Annual Scientific Meeting.

Paediatric dentistry, ‘Small Beginnings, Big Outcomes', is the main focus of the RCSI Faculty of Dentistry Annual Scientific Meeting which takes place today and tomorrow.

In Ireland, often by the time a child presents for their first dental check-up, there can be substantial decay and damage to the teeth. This damage can result in a number of issues for the child's teeth including infection and swelling, which can often lead to discomfort, loss of sleep and difficulty in eating. These problems can have a significant long-term impact on the growth and straightness of the permanent teeth as healthy first teeth guide the permanent teeth into their correct position as they grow.

Furthermore, a recent study from the University of Michigan looked at smiling patterns of children relative to the presence of dental decay. The study concluded that poor oral health is significantly related to children's smiling patterns, meaning some children were not smiling as much due to the condition of their teeth.

Opening the conference, Dr John Walsh, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, RCSI said: "Children who do not visit the dentist at an early age can experience significant set-backs in terms of dental health. Baby teeth guide adult teeth into their correct position and early loss of baby teeth can result in orthodontic problems later in life. At the conference today, we're hearing from experts across the world on paediatric dentistry issues and advancements in their countries and I welcome everyone here today as we share the common goal of advancing the science and art of dentistry for children."

"I'm really pleased that our colleagues from the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry join us here in Dublin today bringing their international expertise on paediatric dentistry into our discussions on what the future holds for the field. Research has shown that fixing decayed first teeth results in better sleep patterns for children, better performance in schools, and most importantly, less orthodontic treatments later in life. I would urge parents to take this on board, and ensure their children see a dentist as early as possible in their lives."

The conference, which is jointly hosted by the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry, is the biggest conference that the RCSI Faculty of Dentistry has ever held, with 440 delegates in total, including 200 US trained paediatric dentists travelling to Dublin for the event.

International speakers at the event include Dr Rob Delarosa, immediate Past-President of the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and a world expert in Children's Dentistry, Dr Paul Casamassimo and Dr Jessica Lee.

The fourth edition of Healthy Teeth for Life, a guide for child's dental health published by the Irish Dental Health Foundation and written by Dr John Walsh, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, RCSI, is being made available in conjunction with the meeting.