Bradford Children Have The Worst Oral Health in Yorkshire
Concerns are growing over standards of oral health in Bradford, as research confirmed that youngsters in the city have the worst oral health in Yorkshire.
Members of the Bradford Health and wellbeing Board heard that children in the city have extremely poor standards of oral health in comparison to other parts of Yorkshire and the UK. NHS bosses are now being asked what they are doing to improve the situation and how this problem can be fixed before it gets any worse.
Chairman of the board and leader of Bradford Council, David Green, said that oral health among under 5’s is an increasingly alarming problem in Bradford and the council is worried that NHS authorities are not doing enough to find ways of stemming the downward spiral. The situation has got noticeably worse since the management of dental services was taken over by NHS England.
Councillor Green said that he had seen a number of dentists who were under extreme pressure and were simply unable to do their job properly because of the demands placed on them. He also stated that the number of children being admitted to hospital for dental treatment was very worrying, especially as the vast majority of cases of oral disease could have been prevented.
Anita Parkin, director of public health, said that something has to be done to target children and reduce rates of decay in Bradford. Figures show that rates of decay among under 5’s in Bradford are among the highest in the UK.
Andrew Jones, manager of Healthwatch Bradford and District, said that people from deprived areas are often the worst off and called for changes to the system to improve oral health education and access to NHS dental care.
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