Official data has shared that nearly 50 per cent of children in Salford have rotting teeth by the age of five.
The report also found that the study, undertaken in 2024, found that 48.2 per cent of five-year-olds with enamel and/or dentinal decay in Salford.
And also found that as many as 6 in 10 children in some areas have rotting teeth by the age of 5, with clear differences between deprived areas and more affluent areas.
Following the recent results, Yvonne Wainwright-Stringer, a dental therapist formerly based in Salford, said: ‘It’s not just about brushing; there are various factors contributing to the decline in dental health in children.
Wainwright-Stringer has suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic has played a large role in the decline of dental health in the UK.
She said: “The pandemic interfered massively with regular dental visits and children who were between two and three when the pandemic started didn’t register their child with a dentist.”
Yvonne has also attributed the decline in dental health in children to food poverty, she continued: “Children in areas that have more poverty typically have access to foods that are richer in monosaturated fats, purely due to cost efficiency.”
She also suggested that tinned foods, white bread, and pasta naturally contain more sugar, and can cause problems when combined with children not being taught how to properly practice dental hygiene.
“It’s not just about brushing teeth,” she said: “It’s the frequency of sugar consumption in children, sugary snacks and drinks throughout the day are leading to more decay down the line.”
The data also shows a clear north-south divide, with the three highest percentage areas being in the North-West of England.
The British Dental Association (BDA) said there has been “no progress” on the rollout of Labour manifesto pledges to “fix the failed contract fuelling the crisis in NHS dentistry” or to deliver prevention programmes in schools.
In 2024, the British Dental Association claimed that 13 million people could not access NHS Dentistry, including routine check-ups and emergency appointments.
And Chairman Eddie Crouch, said: “This oral health gap was made in Westminster, with children paying the price for official failure to take dentistry seriously.
“It will take deeds not words to turn this around.”
The Royal College of surgeons said that in 2022/2023, some 47,581 children required tooth extractions in NHS hospitals – 66 per cent directly attributed to decay.
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, Dean of the faculty of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “We’ve seen a slight improvement overall in the number of five-year-olds with tooth decay, but it is still too high.
“The fact that more than one in five children still suffer from an entirely preventable condition is concerning.”
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