A ROTTEN WAY TO TREAT OUR CHILDREN’S TEETH
DENTISTS are giving children nearly 10,000 fillings a day.
A total of 3.6 million fillings were given to under-18s in England and Wales in 2016/17.
It was the most common dental procedure performed on children that year.
A further 945,782 children’s teeth had to be extracted during the year - making that the second most common procedure. Dentists groups described the figures as “shocking” and blamed a range of factors including “aggressive” marketing of sugary snacks at youngsters. Dentists usually give fillings when dental decay has created a hole in the tooth, which happens when sugary food dissolves teeth. Once the decayed tooth material is removed and the affected area cleaned, the hole is plugged with filling material to restore a tooth back to its normal function and shape.
Data published by the NHS revealed that other dental treatments carried out on children in 2016/17 included 32,259 root-canal treatments.
This procedure treats infections in the centre of the tooth, usually caused by tooth decay or leaky fillings.
There were also 12,856 crowns given to children, where a toothshaped cap is placed over a tooth to restore its shape and size.
This month the UK launched a sugar tax, which places a levy on drinks with high levels of added sugar.
While initially implemented to tackle childhood obesity, the measure could also have a positive impact on children’s teeth, experts say.
Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association, said: “It is shocking that the figures [for childhood fillings] are as high as they are.
“After all, tooth decay is preventable – the causes are multifactorial, including parents who are poorly informed about the causes of tooth decay, a dental contract that works against patients with high needs, aggressive marketing of sugary products at children, and the depressing fact that children from poor socioeconomic backgrounds are burdened with the greatest amount of tooth decay. “The BDA welcomes the sugar tax as a step in the right direction, but when tooth decay is the number one reason for children to be admitted to hospital there needs to be joined-up action to tackle the sugar crisis. “The dentists’ union has always maintained that a sugar levy is not a silver bullet solution, but needs to be part of a package of measures to address the complex problem of over-consumption and its effects.”