In 2023/2024, 19,381 children aged five-to-nine were admitted to hospital in England due to tooth decay.
This compared to 12,283 children in the same age group admitted to hospital in 2023/2024 due to acute tonsillitis.
There has been a small improvement on the previous year (2022/2023), when 19,560 children aged five-to-nine were admitted to hospital due to tooth decay.
Responding to the latest figures Sondos Albadri, a paediatric dental surgeon and a board member of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said, “The latest findings paint a distressing picture about the state of children’s oral health in England. Far too many are being admitted to hospital to have rotting teeth removed.
“While there has been a very small decrease in the number of children admitted, tooth decay is almost wholly preventable, and we really shouldn’t be seeing so many children needing teeth out, especially under general anaesthetic.
He added, “Tooth decay is largely preventable through regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste, reducing sugar consumption and routine dental visits. However, we know that too many people cannot get an appointment with their local NHS dentist.
“The government’s pledges to improve access to NHS dentistry, and introduce supervised tooth-brushing schemes, will help, but it is urgent they get on with implementing these plans.”