Big Smiles in Glasgow as Fewer Children Have Their Teeth Pulled
Children in Glasgow are smiling wider than ever as the city sees a massive reduction in the number of tooth extractions.
The latest figures reveal that tooth extractions for children have dropped by half since the year 2000. There have been numerous initiatives in nurseries and schools that have helped to improve oral health and this has lead to a decrease in decay. The include tooth brushing and healthy eating education.
Despite this drop, Glasgow still has a high decay level and there is still concern over the amount of children who start school with cavities.
However, the statistics definitely show a solid improvement. Released by the Health Secretary in response to a parliamentary question, the figures show improvements year on year. When records were first kept in 2000-2001, the number of teeth extracted from children in the Greater Glasgow area was 26,355.
By the latest full year’s figures (2015-2016), the total reduced by more than 50% to 12,516.
Although these figures include extractions for trauma and orthodontic purposes, the decrease is significantly higher than in other parts of Scotland. To compare, Lothian (including Edinburgh) recorded a decrease of 22%, Tayside (including Dundee) recorded a drop of 24% and extractions in Fife were reduced by 21%.
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