Quarter of five-year-olds have had tooth decay latest figures reveal
Joe Lepper
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Almost one in four young children have experienced tooth decay by the time they are five, Government figures have revealed amid concerns that children and families are struggling to access NHS dentists.
The government’s National Dental Epidemiology Programme survey for the school year 2021/22, shows that 23.7 per cent of five-year-old children have experienced tooth decay.
This is marginally up on the 23.4 per cent of those of the same age who had experienced the same problems when the government survey was previously carried out in 2019.
Almost two in five (38.7 per cent) of children aged five in the North West have experienced tooth decay, the most of any English region.
Meanwhile in the South West 23.3 per cent of young children have had such problems with their teeth, the lowest proportion of any region in England.
Deprivation is a key indicator of tooth decay among five-year-olds, the survey found.
Those in areas of disadvantages are almost three times as likely to experience tooth decay as those in the least deprived areas.
On average dental decay is affecting at least three of the 20 primary teeth children aged five normally have.
The latest figures show that improvements in oral health for five-year-olds achieved in recent years have stalled amid increasing problems accessing NHS dental care.
Dental decay among five-year-olds reduced from 30.9 per cent in 2008 to 23.3 per cent in 2017.
‘However there has been no continuation of this improvement in 2019 or in the results of this latest survey,’ said the National Dental Epidemiology Programme.
A report presented to MPs last month found that ‘NHS dentistry is facing a crisis of access, resulting in a decline in oral health’. This details YouGov survey findings from March which showed one in five people are not registered with a dentist and one in ten have admitted to attempting their own dental work. According to figures released last year nine in ten practices are no longer accepting new NHS patients, the MPs report found.
Being called for in the report by the Health and Social Care Committee is prioritising children and pregnant and nursing mothers when building back access to NHS dental provision.
According to government figures released in February, tooth decay continues to be the most common reason for hospital admission in six to ten year old children.
Among those concerned at declining dental health of children and access to treatment is Bright Stars nursery group, which has launched a partnership with The Dental Wellness Trust charity to offer advice to parents to help children better protect their teeth.
This is being offered through six of the group’s London branches and includes advice on using child friendly toothbrushes, which are smaller and have softer bristles, as well as using age-appropriate fluoridated toothpaste for children under three years old.
Making brushing fun and establishing routines for cleaning teeth are also encouraged.
‘There is also a misconception that baby teeth are less important to care for as you have a second adult set but that’s just not the case,’ said Dental Wellness Trust director Dr Saul Konviser.
‘If a child has an infection in a baby tooth, it can not only affect the development of the other adult tooth but it also impacts their general health and wellness.
‘It might mean they can't come to nursery, concentrate, eat or play with friends. Their whole mood and emotions can change’.
