One in six children leave primary school with rotten teeth after binging on sweet treats and not brushing properly, figures show.
A study of 53,073 children aged ten and eleven found that 16 per cent showed signs of tooth decay, with affected pupils having an average of two rotten teeth.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities found stark disparities between deprived and affluent areas, with declines of almost one in four (23 percent) in the poorest area – more than double one in ten (10 percent) in the richest areas. .
About 3 percent of schoolchildren reported having pain in their teeth or mouth ‘often’ or ‘very often’, and 2 percent regularly had difficulty biting or chewing solid foods.
Wolverhampton has the highest proportion of children with decayed, missing or filled teeth at 42.7 per cent – compared to 12 per cent in the South West.
A study of 53,073 children found that 16 percent had signs of tooth decay and an average of two rotten teeth (file photo)
The British Dental Association accused ministers of being ‘behind the curve’ with policies that could reduce the ‘huge oral health gap’ among children.
Chairman Eddie Crouch said they had ‘failed to understand that decline and deprivation go hand in hand’, adding: ‘This government likes to talk about prevention but has offered nothing. It has promised access for all, but it looks like it will just throw money at target seats in rural England.”
Occupational Health and Safety spokesperson Preet Kaur Gill said: ‘The Conservatives have left NHS dentistry to fend for itself and now our children’s teeth are rotting too.’
She said Labor has a ‘fully budgeted plan to save NHS dentistry… paid for by abolishing non-domestic tax status’.
Wolverhampton has the highest percentage of children with decayed, missing or filled teeth at 42.7 per cent, the study found (file photo)
Dr. Helen Stewart, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, described the figures as ‘nothing short of egregious’, adding: ‘If we are ever to make real lasting change, we must get serious about ending child poverty. .’
The Department of Health and Social Care said it is investing £3 billion a year in NHS dentistry and that around 800,000 extra children visited an NHS dentist last year.
It is also taking “preventative measures,” such as expanding water fluoridation to reduce tooth decay.