Rise in baby teeth extracted in hospitals

TODDLERS are increasingly having their teeth extracted in hospital because too many parents think they are too young for the dentist, leading surgeons have warned.

New figures from the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons show that 80 per cent of one- to two-year-olds in England did not visit the dentist in the past year, although NHS dental care for children is free.

It comes amid rising numbers of children having teeth extracted in hospital, including many less than a year old.

Youngsters should have regular dental check-ups starting from when their first teeth appear – usually at about six months of age. But many parents think baby teeth do not need to be checked as they fall out.

There were 9,220 cases of tooth extractions in hospitals in England on children aged one to four – a 24 per cent rise in a decade – many due to preventable tooth decay.

Prof Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, said: “The earlier a child visits the dentist, the earlier any potential problems can be picked up, so it is easier to prevent children having to go through the trauma of having their teeth removed.”