London’s dental disgrace

The London Assembly is dismayed that over 10,000 children in London are admitted to hospital every year to have multiple decayed teeth removed under a general anaesthetic.

A motion agreed on July 6, calls on the Mayor to include oral health improvement measures in the London Health Inequalities Strategy.  It also asks him to urge the government to take action to reduce sugar consumption in children across the country.

Andrew Dismore AM, who proposed the motion, said, “It’s awful to think so many children in London are suffering with such poor dental health that the only option is to have their teeth removed under general anaesthetic.

“We now need the Mayor to take swift action to address profound inequalities in oral health outcomes in London. That means getting the message out to parents that a yearly dental appointment for their child, as recommended by the experts, is completely free and there for their take-up. Not only should oral health feature in the Mayor’s London Health Inequalities Strategy, I’d now like to see him piling some pressure on government to legislate to reduce sugar consumption in children.