The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Mumsnet asked 1,000 parents about their knowledge of children’s oral health and experience of accessing dental care.
It found that only half of parents were aware of official advice to take children to the dentist before their first birthday.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of respondents said they had experienced problems accessing free NHS dental care, either for themselves during pregnancy and the early days of motherhood, or for their children.
Over a third (41 per cent) of five-year-olds are diagnosed with tooth decay every year, and tooth decay is the most common single reason for children aged between five and nine requiring admission to hospital, the RCPCH said.
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