Between 2000 and 2013, the number of children aged six without any fillings rose from 33 percent to 54 percent with similar percentage progress seeing 53 percent of children aged twelve remaining filling free.
However, there may still be work required for those teenage years as that percentage drops back to 32.4 percent for Portuguese youths aged 18.
The findings come from a nationwide study featuring a representative sample for each respective age group.
Oral hygiene habits also get increasingly instilled as the children advance in age, with 79 percent of six-year-olds reporting they brush their teeth daily, rising to 90 percent of 12-year-olds and some 96 percent of those aged 18.
The study said that the overall improvement in the dental health of the under 18 age group was not only due to lower levels of disease but also the dentist-cheque programme that ensured more widespread access to dental care.
Children ended up as the biggest single population group using the scheme that also extends to the elderly, women during pregnancy and patients receiving treatment for HIV/Aids.
The study also pointed out that the number of fillings per child aged twelve was also down by around a half, dropping from 0.75 fillings per child to 0.37, a performance that means Portugal has already reached the targets set by the World Health Organisation for 2020.