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Lifestyle
13th January - 19th January 2017
45 CW
Mind the gaps, kids! By Val Sainsbury
EXPERTS have revealed alarming figures regarding tooth decay in children, despite the controversial addition of fluoride to the tap water in many areas.
Nearly 41,000 are admitted to hospital each year to have rotten teeth removed under general anaesthetic. More than 160 extractions are carried out each day, with experts blaming the high consumption of sugary food and drink. When the damage is too severe to be dealt with by a dental surgery, the procedure has to take place in hospital. Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the dental faculty at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “The awful impact sugar is having on our children’s teeth is brutally evident in the number of under-18s we are seeing daily, who need more than one tooth extracted because of decay. “It is shameful that a problem which is 90% preventable continues to plague our children in this way. And it is costing struggling councils
millions of pounds each year. “Having teeth removed can be very traumatising for children, and requires time away from school for them, as well as time away from work for their parents. “The Government’s sugar tax will go some way to cutting the sugar consumption that leads to tooth decay. But it also needs to support publichealth campaigns which
remind parents of good oral health.” The Professor added: “We need to drum home the message that, by brushing teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste, reducing sugar consumption and making use of free NHS dental treatment for under-18s by visiting the dentist routinely, we can end the costly scourge of sugar on our children’s teeth.”
Official figures show there were 40,800 hospital operations to remove multiple teeth among under18s in 2015/16, at a cost of £35.6m. The total is 10.7% up on 2012/13, according to the Local Government Association. Izzi Seccombe of the LGA said: “These figures are a stark reminder of the damage that excessive sugar consumption is doing to our children’s teeth. “It is deeply worrying that the type of dental treatment required is beyond the capacity of a local dentist, because of the severity of tooth decay, and, as a result, has to be done in a hospital.” Tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions among children. While some of the procedures are probably required for orthodontic reasons, experts said the vast majority would be for tooth decay. Mick Armstrong, chairman of the British Dental Association, said: “The millions spent on children’s tooth extractions in hospitals are symbolic of the Government’s disinterest in oral health.
“We simply cannot keep pouring NHS resources into avoidable surgery, while ministers fail to deliver the goods on prevention.” The figures come after a Public Health England warning that children consume half their daily recommended sugar intake before school, with almost three teaspoons of sugar being eaten at breakfast-time alone. The Government recommends that youngsters aged 4-6 have no more than 19gms, or five teaspoons, of sugar a day. Youngsters aged 7-10 should consume no more than 24gms, which is one extra spoonful. Children in the UK are also the biggest consumers of soft drinks in Europe, with 40% of those aged from 11-15 drinking them at least once a day. Children aged 11-18 get 40% of their added sugars from soft drinks, according to the LGA. A Government spokesman said: “It is shocking to see so many children having teeth removed. Parents should help their children to brush their teeth regularly, and avoid sugary drinks.”