Children’s tooth decay war taken into community
A NEW campaign will be launched tonight to help improve the oral health of children in two Yorkshire cities.
Dental teams will meet at the Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield to launch a new Government programme called Starting Well which will operate in Wakefield and Hull.
It is aimed at hundreds of children who do not currently visit the dentist.
Oral health is improving in England but still 24.7 per cent of five-year-olds have tooth decay. In 2016, only 33 per cent of children under five had visited a dentist and 26,000 children were admitted to hospital with tooth decay, making it the most common reason for a hospital admission in under-nines.
Dental teams will go out into the community to reach families in high-risk areas to teach children about the importance of their dental health and encourage parents to take their children to the dentist more regularly.
They will do this through supporting children’s centres events, supporting toothbrushing clubs and health fairs and school parents’ evenings. Toothbrush and toothpaste packs will also be given to children at risk of tooth decay.
Dental practices will then open their doors to the public throughout the year, holding open days and holiday events to increase the number of underfives getting their teeth checked.
Health Minister Steve Brine said: “This government is committed to supporting dentists and improving oral health of children, no matter where they live.
“The Starting Well programme is an exciting new scheme designed to reach out to families with professional advice and support – encouraging regular visits to the dentist and highlighting the importance of prevention for good oral health.
“It’s only by working closely with the dental profession to promote such outreach schemes that we can ultimately reduce the number of children suffering the potentially catastrophic effects of tooth decay.”
Jane Moore, chairman of West Yorkshire Local Dental Network, NHS England in Yorkshire and Humber, said: “Helping children realise the importance of brushing their teeth will enable them to maintain good oral health for the rest of their lives and help them avoid a hospital stay while they are young.
“Starting Well has been put together by the dental profession, NHS England and Public Health England. We all share an ambition to see a generation of children cavity-free, avoiding the serious implications arising from tooth decay including pain, sleepless nights, missed school days, days off work for parents and the requirement of general anaesthetic for the extraction of decayed teeth.”
Sally Eapen Simon, consultant in dental public health in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Tooth decay is an entirely preventable disease which can be very painful for children and distressing for parents, so we are delighted to be working with NHS England, Hull and Wakefield councils and key stakeholders on Starting Well.”