'Staggering' levels of tooth decay in children as report urges radical reform
There are calls for the government to take 'radical' action to tackle the staggering levels of tooth decay in children across England, ITV News North of England Correspondent Rachel Townsend reports
The government is being urged to abandon fears of being a "nanny state" and implement radical measures to combat tooth decay in children, as a new report found fewer than four in ten have good oral health.
Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admissions among five to nine-year-olds in England, with one in ten three-year-olds already suffering from it.
A joint report from the Child of the North project and the Centre for Young Lives – a think tank founded by former children’s commissioner for England Anne Longfield – said the findings were "staggering" and the government should "ignore any accusations of a nanny state."
Among its recommendations is a call for the government to develop a national child oral health strategy with a focus on reducing sugar consumption.
The organisations suggest this could be achieved by expanding the so-called sugar tax to include sugary milk drinks.
The report also calls for restrictions on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s, optimising fluoride exposure, and bolstering access to dental care.
According to the report, poor dental health is also more common among families living in deprived areas, with "much higher levels” of tooth decay in children in the north of England.
Ms Longfield, executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives, said: "It is staggering that so many children, particularly in the north of England and those living in low-income families, are now growing up with tooth decay and suffering from toothache and discomfort.
"This can affect their quality of life, sleep patterns, eating habits, and impact on school readiness and attendance, speech and language development, and overall confidence. In some areas it has sadly become the norm.
"Many children are not only missing out on NHS dental healthcare but are more likely to suffer tooth decay from a younger age."
Earlier this year, figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) showed there were 47,581 tooth extractions in NHS hospitals in England for patients aged 0 to 19 in 2023.
Some 66% of extractions – or 31,165 – were down to a primary diagnosis of tooth decay, up 17% from the previous 12 months.
During the period, hospital admissions for childhood tooth extractions cost NHS hospitals £64.3 million, with decay-related extractions costing £40.7 million.
Ahead of July’s general election, the Labour manifesto pledged to introduce supervised toothbrushing for three to five-year-olds.
Ms Longfield described this as a "positive step forward".
Speaking about the NHS at the King’s Fund on Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recalled a visit to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
"The single biggest cause of children going into that hospital between the ages of six and 10 was to have their rotting teeth taken out," he said.
"I couldn’t believe it. I was genuinely shocked.
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
"Can you think of anything more soul-destroying? For those children what a price to pay.
“And for that brilliant NHS team who want to use their talents to save lives, instead spending their time taking out rotting teeth. Something that could be so easily prevented.”
The speech came after more details emerged on how Labour will tackle obesity in children.
On Thursday, a written statement from health minister Andrew Gwynne said the government would introduce a 9pm watershed on junk food advertising on TV and online, as well as a total ban on paid-for online ads.
He said: "These restrictions will help protect children from being exposed to advertising of less healthy food and drinks, which evidence shows influences their dietary preferences from a young age."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...