New figures suggest that 1 in 7 British toddlers have tooth decay
New figures have suggested that 1 in 7 British toddlers now have tooth decay.
According to a new study, 14 percent of 3-year old children have at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth. Author, Maria Morgan, from Cardiff University, said that many people are unaware that they need to start cleaning their child’s teeth at an early age. Neglecting oral health is increasing the risk of decay in younger children, but also elevating the risk of complications further down the line. It’s not uncommon for dentists to see children who are only 5 or 6 years old who need up 10 teeth removing in one go as a result of extensive decay.
Researchers analysed data collected from 1,400 parents. Three-quarters of parents said that their child brushed their teeth twice a day, leaving a quarter who didn’t. Dentists are worried that parents are avoiding teeth cleaning because they assume that it’s not important to take care of the baby teeth because they fall out naturally, but decay can develop a lot earlier than the teeth are scheduled to fall out, and losing teeth prematurely can increase the risk of problems later on.
Ms Morgan said that dental care is often not a priority when you’re bringing up very young children and this is resulting in increasing rates of decay. Approximately 8,000 children are having teeth extracted under general anaesthetic every year.
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