Latest survey shows child tooth decay ‘gap’ persisting

While there have been welcome improvements in overall decay levels, data shows almost a twenty-fold difference in severity between the local authorities with the best and worst outcomes – with five-year-olds in Pendle having on average 2.3 decayed, missing or filled teeth, compared to just 0.1 for those in Waverley, home to health secretary Jeremy Hunt. 5.1 per cent of young children in Waverley have decay, compared to 49.4 per cent in Pendle.

The BDA has expressed concern that authorities in England have failed to follow the lead set by devolved governments to bring supervised brushing to schools and nurseries – when elements of these programmes have been borrowed by governments from Chile to Israel. The Childsmile (Scotland) and Designed to Smile (Wales) programmes contain a range of universal and targeted interventions, have been huge successes, and have shaved millions off NHS treatment costs.

Tooth decay is a wholly preventable condition, but remains the number one reason for child hospital admissions in England. The BDA advocates a coherent and appropriately funded strategy to bridge the inequalities gap and urges greater effort from both local and national government.