'Every child should get free toothbrush and toothpaste to tackle rotting teeth'
Every child should be given a free toothbrush and toothpaste paid for by the taxpayer, an expert has demanded.
Aileen Murphie, who used to lead the public spending watchdog, urged for the return of school dental services to tackle a growing crisis of children with rotting teeth.
Speaking at an Institute for Government event, she said: “There are 15,000 children under the age of seven who go into the hospital to have decayed baby teeth removed under general anaesthetic which is a complete and utter waste of money apart from anything else.
“One of the things I would do is a very significant public health measure. Every child should get a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste at whatever point they come into public services and we should reinstate the school dental service.”
Parents avoid the dentist because of costly appointmentsSchool dental services provided by local authorities were developed in the early 1900s but phased out toward the end of the century due to staffing issues.
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Figures released today show more than 25,000 children had decaying teeth removed in hospital last year.
Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged six to 10.
Ms Murphie, former director of the National Audit Office, an independent body that analyses public spending, said “there is a huge waste of public money” when it comes to dental services.
She said: “I do remember the school dental service back in the 1960s in Scotland.
“It was a massive investment in public health that dealt with a real need and offset hugely expensive problems later.”
Ms Murphie, who is also a specialist advisor to MPs on the Levelling Up, Housing & Communities committee, added that cutting preventive and “outcome-focused” measures was “at our peril”.
Children living in the most deprived communities are around 3.5 times more likely to have teeth out due to decay than those in the most affluent areas, with many parents avoiding the cost of a trip to the dentist.
Children are not the only ones affected in the country's dentistry crisis, with shocking stories of “DIY dentistry” including people pulling out their own teeth becoming more and more common.
Desperate Brits have even made fake teeth out of resin and stuck them to their own gums with superglue as 91% of NHS dentists snub new patients.
BDA chairman Eddie Crouch added: "Tooth decay is still going unchallenged as the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children.
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"Decay and deprivation are going hand in hand, and this inequality is set to widen.
"None of this is inevitable. This Government needs to be willing to take off the gloves when it comes to fighting a wholly preventable disease."
David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association's community wellbeing board, said: "Untreated dental conditions remain one of the most prevalent diseases affecting children and young people's ability to speak, eat, play and socialise.
"Oral health inequality is expected to grow owing to the scale of backlogs in primary care, which limit the chance to catch problems early.
"The Government must use the upcoming spring Budget to recommit to vital measures to combat childhood obesity and diet-related ill health, such as the sugar levy which has helped cut down the consumption of drinks with high sugar content."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Good oral health is incredibly important and the number of children seen by NHS dentists increased by 44% in the last year.
“Likewise in hospitals we have seen an increase in hospital operations for tooth extraction for those aged 0-19 as oral healthcare services continue to recover from the pandemic.
“The number of dentists increased by over 500 last year and the government is investing more than £3 billion in NHS dentistry including so people can access services when they need them.”
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