Among Croatian 12-year-olds, the average DMFT index fell from 3.21 in 2016 to 2.43 in 2023. The index counts permanent teeth that are decayed, missing because of decay or filled. The Ministry of Health links the improvement to wider access to preventive dental services, better oral-health education and more regular dental check-ups.
During Croatia's Month of Oral Health, free examinations and consultations are organized in Zagreb for parents and children as part of preventive education.
The gap is stark.
Tooth decay often starts in early childhood. The high rate among preschool children shows why prevention cannot wait until permanent teeth appear. Croatia's National Preventive Programme for Oral Health Protection for 2025 to 2027 puts early detection and prevention among children and young people at the center. Its measures include the Tooth Passport programme, supervised tooth brushing in kindergartens and schools, and prevention of dental injuries.
Croatia's 2025-2027 prevention programme combines early detection for children and young people with supervised brushing, dental-injury prevention and broader oral-health measures for older people, people with disabilities and oral-cancer detection.
The World Health Organization's latest guidance, published in March 2026, describes dental caries as the world's most common non-communicable disease. It affects around 2.7 billion people. Frequent consumption of free sugars and poor oral hygiene are major risk factors. Limited access to healthcare adds to the burden.
Croatia's numbers fit that wider pattern, but they also point to a clear national priority. The country has improved oral-health results among 12-year-olds. The harder task is to bring effective prevention into the preschool years.
A related child-care warning from England shows how early decay can become a wider health-system problem when prevention and access fail.
Croatia's Month of Oral Health runs from 12 September to 12 October. The Croatian Chamber of Dental Medicine launched the initiative. On Saturday, dental medicine students and dental professionals will offer hygiene and tooth-brushing advice at Zagreb's Flower Square, known locally as Cvjetni trg. They will also provide educational materials and short free preventive check-ups for children.
Parents and children can receive consultations during the wider campaign. The focus stays on early action.
Croatia has not solved childhood oral disease. Its figures show that improvement is possible while preschool decay remains widespread. Prevention must start before decay takes hold. Later progress cannot make up for an early missed opportunity.
