Saturday 27th February 2016- The Guardian: Decayed teeth removed from 128,000 children in England since 2011

‘Tens of thousands of children have had decaying teeth removed in hospitals in England, according to the latest figures, which show an increase for the fourth year in a row.

There has been a rise of almost 10% in child hospital admissions for severe tooth decay in England over a four-year period, with the report’s authors pointing out “a strong correlation between area deprivation and the rate of tooth extraction”.

More than 128,000 children aged 10 and under have needed at least one removed since 2011, often in cases where the decay may have been preventable.

There were 14,445 admissions of children aged five and under between April 2014 and March the following year, and a further 19,336 cases of six- to10-year-olds having teeth taken out in hospital in the same period. More boys than girls were likely to have suffered from severe tooth decay.

The rate of tooth extraction among the most deprived children is almost five times that for those from the least deprived decile, according to the statistics analysed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, the tooth extraction rate was more than five times that for the east of England. London had the most children who needed to be admitted to hospital for severe tooth decay, with 8,362 having teeth removed.

Prof Nigel Hunt, the dean of the dental surgery faculty at the Royal College of Surgeons, said the 9.81% increase was unacceptable.

“Not only is tooth decay distressing to children and parents, it has serious social and financial implications,” he said. “The need for tooth extraction continues to be the number one reason why five- to nine-year-old children are admitted to hospital. This issue urgently needs to be addressed, especially since 90% of tooth decay is preventable.”

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Decayed teeth removed from 128,000 children in England since 2011

Tooth decay still on the rise among English children- BBC News

Monday 4th January 2016- The Telegraph: ‘Third World’ dentistry crisis in England

‘More than 400 dentists write to the Telegraph arguing the NHS dentistry system is ‘unfit for purpose’ as 46,400 children are admitted to hospital for tooth decay’.

‘Dental health standards are falling to “Third World” levels in parts of England because of a crisis of access to NHS treatment, more than 400 dentists claim today.

In a letter to The Telegraph, a coalition of professionals from across the country argues that the system is “unfit for purpose” with millions of people seemingly going for long periods without even seeing a dentist, or ignorant of basic dental hygiene.’

Dentists’ letter to The Telegraph:

‘“Far from improving, the situation has worsened to such an extent that charity groups normally associated with providing dental care in Third World arenas now have to do so in England.”‘

‘The signatories accuse successive governments of hiding the problem behind a veil of spin and denial.

They point to official figures showing large numbers of primary school children having to be admitted to hospital to be treated for serious tooth decay and other dental problems, many of which, they say, could be easily prevented.’

 

‘But NHS England denied that there is a crisis, pointing to a survey which found that more than nine out of 10 people who wanted to see a dentist in the last two years got to see one.

But separate NHS figures show that almost half the adult population of England (48 per cent) and a third (31 per cent) of children have not seen a dentist within two years.

Crucially almost 62,500 people are admitted to hospital in England per year because of tooth decay – three quarters of them, or 46,400, children.

Within the biggest age-group – those aged between five and nine years old – the numbers leapt by 14 per cent in three years to almost 26,000, estimates from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show.’

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‘Third World’ dentistry crisis in England

NHS dentistry is ‘Third World’ and ‘unfit for purpose’, hundreds of dentists say- The Independent

Dental care in England ‘Third World’- BBC News

Monday 4th January 2016- The Guardian: Children aged four to 10 ‘have equivalent of 5,500 sugar cubes a year’

‘Children aged between four and 10 consume 22kg in sugar every year, according to a public health campaign urging parents to take control of their offspring’s diet.

The 22kg is equivalent to 5,500 sugar cubes – with soft drinks, biscuits, buns, cakes, breakfast cereals, confectionery, fruit juices, pastries and puddings the main culprits.

As part of its “Sugar Smart campaign”, Change4Life has launched a free app that allows people to scan the barcode of a product to reveal the amount of sugar it contains in cubes and grams. It warns that obesity and tooth decay are among the consequences of children consuming three times as much of the substance as they should.

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist for Public Health England, said: “Children are having too much sugar. This can lead to painful tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, which can also affect children’s wellbeing as they are more likely to be bullied, have low self-esteem and miss school.

“Children aged five shouldn’t have more than 19 grams of sugar per day – that’s five cubes, but it’s very easy to have more. Our easy-to-use app will help parents see exactly where the sugar in their children’s diet is coming from, so they can make informed choices about what to cut down on.”

The maximum added sugar intake for seven- to 10-year-olds is 24g, or six sugar cubes; for anyone aged 11 or older, it is 30g or seven sugar cubes.’

‘Last July, the UK’s official nutrition advisers said dietary sugar should account for no more than 5% of daily calories consumed, half the previous recommended limit.

Obesity costs the NHS £5.1bn per year and is projected to rise to £9.7bn by 2050, with wider costs to society estimated to reach £49.9bn per year.

In 2013, almost a third (31%) of five-year-olds and almost half (46%) of eight-year-olds had tooth decay. It was the most common reason for five- to nine-year-olds to be admitted to hospital. Evidence suggests high sugar intake is linked to deprivation.’

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Children aged four to 10 ‘have equivalent of 5,500 sugar cubes a year’

Children aged five eat their bodyweight in sugar, experts warn- The Independent

Children aged five eating own weight in sugar each year as parents urged to check products with free app- The Telegraph

Parents urged to get free sugar app to check products- BBC News