"More support needed"

Michaela ONeill, President of the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) says it is the responsibility of mothers, fathers, teachers, dental professionals and politicians alike, to help resolve the current crisis in children’s dental health but more must be done to help provide direct assistance to parents.

The new figures, which have been released by MyDentist, show a total of 19 per cent of parents in East Anglia have never taken their children to the dentist – the lowest take-up in the country.
Nationally, more than 700,000 children under eight who have been to the dentist have had at least one filling, costing the NHS an estimated £22m a year.

Ms ONeill said, “Tooth decay and poor dental health has a significant impact on our overall health and well-being, and in children is a substantial indicator for their quality of life when they enter adulthood. Avoiding dental disease such as tooth decay is incredibly important and it’s critical that children are given the best possible opportunity to keep good dental health.