Habits start at home

It coincides with the latest figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre that show nearly 26,000 children, aged five to nine, were admitted to hospital in England in 2013-14 with tooth decay.

This has increased by 14 per cent since 2011 – a ‘crisis point’ according to the Royal College of Surgeons’ dental faculty.

Now dental therapists are warning that children’s oral health must begin at home, with parents and caregivers receiving a comprehensive education if preventive measures are to be successful.

They say that the first port of call should be expectant mothers.

The original study investigated how health behaviours related to the potential transmission of oral bacteria from mother to child.

Acknowledging that health behaviours play a major role in the prevention of the most common oral diseases, it suggested a need within in patient health education for more emphasis on how to prevent bacterial transmission from caregiver to child during feeding.