According to NICE guidelines, the longest interval a patient younger than 18 years should be given is:

• A. 3 months
• B. 6 months
• C. 12 months
• D. 24 months

Answer: (C)

The key idea is a risk‑based approach to recall intervals. For patients under 18, NICE guidelines allow you to extend the gap between checkups to as long as one year for those who are not at high risk. This length of time balances the need to monitor growth, eruption of teeth, and potential caries with not overloading the child with unnecessary visits. Shorter intervals are used when the child has higher risk factors or active issues (for example, active decay, poor oral hygiene, or orthodontic appliances), where closer follow‑up is helpful. A gap of two years would be too long to safely monitor a developing dentition, and 3 or 6 months is shorter than necessary for most under‑18 patients. So the longest recommended interval is one year.