Dental disaster

SIR – The number-one medical reason for young children to be hospitalised remains rotten teeth. Increasing numbers have every single tooth extracted, leaving only gums.

Dentists are frustrated that NHS dental contracts continue to be target-based. They should be based on people and on prevention of dental disease.

Pilot contract trials have been run in the past year as before. But even where these have failed, discredited targets are retained.

Meanwhile, too many in the food industry continue to put excess sugar into many ordinary foods. This risks establishing a generation with a “sweet tooth” addiction to sugar. Parents’ efforts to do the right thing are thereby frustrated.

We know that frequent exposure to sugar rots dental health, and brings other associated medical problems.

There is still no national dental prevention strategy in England, to inform the population and help it to act preventively.

We know from Childsmile schemes in Scotland that every £1 million spent upon prevention has saved the NHS as a whole many more millions in return.

In England, a national prevention strategy is itself being prevented. Decisive central action is long overdue. Tony Kilcoyne

Specialist in Prosthodontics Martin Mayhew Specialist in Dental Public Health Andrew Nesbitt Specialist in Oral Surgery Surendra Patel Specialist in Orthodontics Tony Jacobs

Dentist and founder of GDPUK forum and 626 other dental professionals; see telegraph.co.uk