The report released by charity The National Children’s Bureau shows a huge gap in levels of oral health as well as obesity, injury and early childhood development for under-fives across the country.
It confirms that the health and development of children under five is closely linked to the affluence of the area they grow up in, with those living in deprived areas far more likely to suffer poor health.
Comparing the 30 most deprived local authorities with the 30 best-off, it illustrates that, while only 18.4 per cent of children living in the 30 richest areas suffer from tooth decay, this rises substantially to 31.6 per cent of four to five year olds in the 30 most deprived.
Now, in light of this report, which analysed data from Public Health England, dental therapists are calling for an across the board health summit to tackle this issue as a matter of urgency.
Fiona Sandom, president of the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT), said: ‘There has been much activity of late with many interested parties lobbying for more to be done to fight this health crisis within dentistry – the British Dental Association (BDA), the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) and the BADT are all behind various campaigns to turn the tide of children’s tooth decay figures, especially in poorer areas of the country.
“Elsewhere, the pressure group Action on Sugar and, more recently, Jamie Oliver, are also campaigning vociferously, with the British Medical Association approaching it from a different angle by demanding a 20 per cent tax on sugary drinks to fight the obesity epidemic.
“Jimmy Steele addressed the problem in his BDA Anniversary Lecture in July when he said that, although there has been a profound reduction in the prevalence of tooth decay, major inequalities still exist across the UK and suggested that prevention has to be the way forward, acknowledging that ‘inequality appears to be getting more pronounced, but we will not be able to treat away the difference’.
“The Marmot Review into health inequalities in England, published back in 2010, highlighted the social gradient of such health inequalities, which are largely preventable. Five years on, we now need some joined-up thinking to address the associated health issues – including tooth decay – for which our children and the NHS are paying a heavy price.”
However, the data shows that poor early health is not always inevitable for children growing up in deprived areas.
Several areas with high levels of deprivation buck the trend and achieve better than expected results, suggesting that more work is needed to understand how local strategies and programmes can make a difference.
Children in three local authority areas – Hartlepool, South Tyneside and Islington – have lower rates of tooth decay, despite high levels of deprivation.
Secretary of the BADT, Melonie Prebble, added: “Dealing with inequality is complex and we are aware this issue is not new. I believe we need to rethink how best to deliver preventive services and seek new ways to engage families, such as with an education programme that starts with parents prior to a child’s birth and beyond. We need to bridge the gap and ensure the heath and development of the first five years of a child’s life is improved.
“Unfortunately, the UK still provides a lot of reactionary health services and it would be interesting to know what Islington and the two other areas provide to identify how this may be applied to other areas of deprivation.
“A multidisciplinary health summit – that involves knowledge sharing and an open discussion on best practice – needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
At a regional level, if under-fives in the North West enjoyed the same health and development as those in the South East, over 15,000 case of ill health could be prevented. This included:
- 43 per cent fewer five year olds with tooth decay – equivalent to over 11,000 children per year
- 19 per cent fewer obese four to five year olds – equivalent to over 1,600 children a year.
The statistics also included the revelation that a five year old in Leicester is five times more likely to have tooth decay than one in West Sussex.
Poor Beginnings: health inequalities among young children across England is published as responsibility for public health services aimed at under-fives is transferred from central government to local authorities in October.
The report calls on the government to set out a renewed strategy to improve the health and development of children and families in the early years.
The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) has recently announced its support for the British Association of Dental Therapists’ (BADT) call for an across the board health summit to tackle the inequalities of child health provision.
BADN President Fiona Ellwood said: “This report further emphasises the need for the dental profession to be included as key stakeholders in the care and well-being of the under-fives. Only recently the shocking statistics were produced on the oral conditions and level of oral disease in this age group. Research has shown that dental care professionals are well placed to intervene and act accordingly, providing in some cases treatment, but more important the care, support, education and guidance that can have a lasting effect and impact on the level of oral disease in a young person’s life. Dental nurses are very much a part of this intervention and provide not only oral health education to young people, families and carers, but are often involved in prevention programmes.”
The Poor Beginnings: health inequalities among young children across England Report is published as responsibility for public health services aimed at the under-fives is transferred from central government to local authorities in October. It is available at www.ncb.org.uk/poorbeginnings where interactive maps detailing local authority performance and regional data are also available.