Health Bosses Blame the Economy for the Drop in Dental Visits
Health bosses in Darlington have blamed the economy for a drop in the number of people visiting their dentist.
Health chiefs in the area said that many families are struggling to afford regular dental visits in light of problems caused by the recession, such as unemployment. Figures recently revealed at a meeting of Darlington Borough Council’s Health and Partnerships Scrutiny Committee, showed a decrease in dental visits in the town and bosses are now looking for ways to encourage families to attend regular dental appointments. Dr David Landes, the deputy director of public health for County Durham and Darlington presented the report an its findings to the committee.
Regular check-ups play a very important role in preventing oral health diseases and the cost of a check-up is considerably lower than the cost of a complex course of treatment. A number of practices in the area are accepting new NHS patients and bosses are now looking to fill the places.
Dr Landes was invited to the committee meeting after it was revealed that standards of oral health among children were declining. A survey carried out in 2008/2009 showed that more than 40% of children under the age of 12 had tooth decay, with the figure being the second highest in the region, just behind Middlesbrough.
Dr Landes said that the high rates of decay were due to a lack of fluoridated water and a large proportion of children not attending regular dental visits.
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