HEALTH: Cyprus above EU average for neglecting child dental care

Cyprus paints a mixed picture when it comes to meeting the health needs of children with only 1.4% of minors under 16 having their medical needs not treated but when it came to neglected dental care it was above the EU average at 3.1%.

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In the European Union in 2017, 1.8% of children aged below 16 had medical needs that were not treated.

This share was slightly higher for children living in households with one adult (2.2%) compared to those sharing households with two or more adults (1.8%).

The highest share of children with unmet medical needs was reported in Belgium (8.7%) and Romania (7.4%), followed by Sweden (4.3%), Finland (3.3%) and Czechia (2.7%).

In contrast, the lowest share was reported in Austria (close to 0.0%), Germany (0.1%), and Hungary (0.2%), followed by Spain (0.3%), Croatia (0.4%), Malta (0.5%), Slovakia (0.6%) and Portugal (0.9%).

In 2017, 2.3% of children below 16 did not receive dental care that they needed, in Cyprus, the figure was a relatively high 3.1% which put it in the top 10.

The highest share of children with unmet needs for dental care was reported in Latvia (7.3%), followed by Portugal (6%), Spain and Romania (both 5.7%).

However, in seven Member States this rate dropped to less than 1%, namely in Hungary (0.3%), Croatia (0.4%), Germany (0.5%), Luxembourg (0.7%), France, Austria and Slovakia (all 0.9%).

Children’s medical and dental needs can be unmet due to various reasons, such as inability to afford the treatment, long waiting lists, long travel times or no means of transport, or lack of time because of work or caring for family members or others.