Hospitals spend £140m on ‘rotting teeth’ in children

The Local Government Association, which represents more than 370 councils with responsibility for public health, is concerned that the rise in cases of tooth decay will mean children are forced to miss school to attend hospital for an operation.

Latest figures show that hospitals spent £35m on multiple teeth extraction in under 18s in 2014/15, compared with £21m in 2010/11. Over the last five years, this amounts to nearly £140m.

Council leaders believe that excessive consumption of fizzy drinks and foods high in added sugar are a major reason behind the surge in cases of treatment – 40,970 procedures in 2014/15 compared with 32,457 – an increase of more than a quarter.

The numbers mean that more than 100 operations to remove teeth in children and teens are taking place each day in hospitals rather than dental practices, due to the severity of the tooth decay.

And given the high frequency of operations, town halls say it is inevitable this will mean some pupils taking time off school for hospital appointments.