A fifth of children in Northumberland have decay, new figures confirm
A fifth of children in Northumberland have tooth decay, according to figures from Public Health England.
Research conducted by the health body revealed that more than 20 percent of children starting school in the county suffer from decay. Statistics were provided based on a survey of 1,660 5-year-olds in the region as part of a national poll, which involved 96,000 children. The rate of decay in Northumberland (22.6%) was slightly lower than the average in the North East region (23.9%). The survey also revealed that many children had widespread decay and several had undergone extraction procedures in hospital under general anaesthetic.
Information obtained by Public Health England revealed dramatic regional differences. The highest rate of decay was found in Pendle, Lancashire, where almost 50 percent of children had signs of decay. This provided a stark contrast to the figure of 4.4% in Horsham, West Sussex.
Although rates of decay have dropped nationally from 31% in 2008 to 23% in 2017, decay remains the leading cause of hospital admissions among children in the UK, and there are stark differences between poorer and more affluent areas.
Chair of the British Dental Association, Mick Armstrong, said that the figures indicated a link between poor oral health, postcodes and parents’ incomes.
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