New report highlights regional divide in dental health
A new report has highlighted a significant regional divide in standards of dental health in England. The report, which was compiled by the Nuffield Trust, also suggests that there are significant gaps between people from deprived and affluent backgrounds.
Despite the fact that there has been an overall improvement in oral health in England, the new research flags up a divide between the north and south of the country and suggests that people from poor backgrounds are much more likely to need dental treatment than those from wealthier backgrounds. Children from Blackburn are four times more likely to need fillings than children from South Gloucestershire and people from deprived backgrounds are twice as likely to need hospital treatment for dental issues.
Researchers from the Nuffield Trust used data collated from a range of sources to put the report, which is entitled ‘Root Causes: Quality and Inequality in Dentistry’ together.
Statistics obtained by the research team suggested that there is a significant difference between people living in the north and south of the country and a gap between the rich and poor. Standards are generally higher in the south, with the exception of London.
Figures confirmed that rates of decay have fallen among 5-year-olds; however, there are major differences between children from different regions and socioeconomic backgrounds. The proportion of children who have filled, missing or decayed teeth ranges from 14% to 57% across England. In the least deprived areas, 83 percent of children had no sign of decay, compared to 70 percent in the most deprived regions.
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