British Dental Association calls for action to tackle rising rates of decay among children
The British Dental Association (BDA) has called for urgent action to tackle rising rates of decay among children.
Figures show that over 42,000 extraction procedures were carried out on children in hospitals in England in 2022. This represents an increase of almost 20,000 extractions from 2021. Tooth decay is the most common cause of hospital admissions among children aged between six and ten years old.
As well as worrying rates of decay across the country, the statistics from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show that children from disadvantaged backgrounds and poorer areas are 3.5 times more likely to develop dental decay than children from wealthier areas.
Eddie Crouch, chair of the BDA, said that nothing was being done to tackle tooth decay, the most common reason for children going into hospital in the UK. He added that the gap between poor and rich communities is growing and said that rates of decay are rising as deprivation becomes more commonplace. Mr Crouch called for the government to be heavy-handed in its approach to fighting tooth decay.
A spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care confirmed that extra investment worth £3 billion has been made available for NHS dental services to boost capacity. The number of children who saw a dentist in 2022 was 44% higher than in 2021.
In 2021, appointment numbers dropped due to the pandemic. The number of extraction procedures reflects this, with more children seeing their dentist in 2022 and the risk of needing treatment higher due to missing routine appointments, lockdown diet trends and a pause in public health and dental programmes during the Covid crisis.
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