Study reveals dental health decline of under fives

Dental experts are urging the government to focus on the prevention of dental decay in under fives following a new report into children’s health.

A study on child health in England found that dental health among the under fives is declining and that the overall health gap between the richest and poorest children has become wider.

Now the British Dental Health Foundation is calling for more awareness in spearhead areas following the report, published by the Audit Commission.

Figures show around 150,000 more children have decayed, missing and filled teeth in spearhead areas compared with the rest of the country – a gap which has increased dramatically in the last 10 years.

It showed that children living in disadvantaged areas are 54% more likely to live in households in which parents do not work and face poorer health conditions than under fives living in less deprived areas.

Out of these children, one in five have been judged to have poor dental health.

The commission calculates that, since 1998, £10.9 billion has been spent on initiatives that directly or indirectly aim to improve the health of children aged under five.

The report found that local policies for children vary widely, and that minority groups are failing to access Sure Start Children’s Centres – on which the government has spent £7.2 billion – because they are unaware of the service or feel they are being judged by health professionals.

Chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter said the Foundation aims to reduce the number of children suffering from oral health deficiencies.

He said: ‘Dental disease is the most common preventable childhood disease and good education at an early age can have a significant impact.

‘Parents are very much responsible for helping their children to develop a good oral health routine and ensure regular visits to the dentist.’

But a Department of Health spokesperson denied there was a problem.

Favorite
Get the most out of your membership by subscribing to Dentistry CPD
  • Access 600+ hours of verified CPD courses
  • Includes all GDC recommended topics
  • Powerful CPD tracking tools included
Register for webinar
Share
Add to calendar