Call to act over sugar intake as 180 children a day have teeth removed

THERE WERE more than 45,000 hospital operations to remove teeth from teenagers and children last year – equating to 180 each working day, figures show.

The statistics have led council leaders to call for immediate action to tackle sugar consumption, with youngsters in the UK the biggest consumers of soft drinks in Europe – with two out of five 11 to 15-year-olds drinking sugary drinks at least once a day.

The Local Government Association, which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, said the figures – up by 18 per cent in the past six years – are likely to reflect poor oral hygiene as well as the excessive consumption of sugary food and drinks.

Its analysis of NHS spending data found there were 45,077 extractions of multiple teeth in under-18s in England in 2017/18 at a cost of £38.9m. This is an 18 per cent increase on the 38,208 in 2012/13, which cost £27.4m. The total cost to the NHS of these operations since 2012 is £205m.

The severity of the tooth decay means the treatment has to be carried out in hospital under general anaesthetic, rather than by a dentist.

Ian Hudspeth, of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “These figures, which have risen sharply, highlight the damage that excessive sugar intake is doing to young people’s teeth.”

An NHS England spokesman said: “NHS dental care for children is free and tooth decay is preventable, but eating sugary food and drinks is driving this unfortunate and unnecessary epidemic of extractions. NHS England is working with the dental profession, local authorities and health providers and has developed Starting Well – a campaign targeted at high-need communities.”