The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Alarming number of children suffering from dental decay
One in three youngsters has tooth decay
Deprivation has left almost one in three Tayside children under the age of five suffering from dental decay.
More than 30% of the region’s children are suffering from rotting teeth, resulting in more than 700 admissions to hospital.
The data, gathered by Dundee City Council’s children and families services committee, acknowledges dental decay to have a detrimental impact on children’s “physical, mental and emotional wellbeing”.
The report, part of the Tayside Plan for Children, Young People and Families, indicates: “Dental decay is closely correlated with deprivation and linked to high sugar diets and poor dental hygiene. The negative impact can continue into childhood.”
North East MSP Bill Bowman said: “These are damning statistics which should focus the minds of parents and health practitioners alike.
“If nearly a third of children under five in Tayside are suffering from tooth decay, then there is clearly a serious problem with diet and oral hygiene.”
NHS statistics from last year show that 69% of primary one children in Tayside show no obvious sign of decay.
The figure puts Tayside on a par with the national average for primary one pupils showing signs of decay, but ranks the region as below the majority of Scottish health boards.
NHS Tayside clinical dental director Morag Curnow said: “The dental health of children in Tayside is improving in line with national progress, with the highest rate of improvement in Dundee.
“Historically, children in Dundee have had poorer dental health than their peers in Angus and Perth and Kinross and latest figures show there has been a sizeable reduction in the gap between these areas.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Thanks to the Childsmile programme dental health in Tayside is improving. Under this government the number of five-year-olds in Tayside with no obvious sign of tooth decay has increased by 11 percentage points to 68%.”
Gary Grime, practice principal of Monifieth Dental Surgery, said: “The statistics here show that there is still work to do in improving children’s dental health in Tayside. Educating parents about diet and tooth brushing is key for preventing disease.”