Taxes on sugar need to be expanded, under 16s should be banned from buying energy drinks and the Labour government is being urged to ‘ignore Nanny Sate critics’ and roll out its proposed national supervised toothbrushing programme in schools.
The report, by Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives think-tank and the Child of the North coalition of universities across the North of England, says action is needed as fewer than two in five children have good oral health.
One in 10 three-year-olds already have tooth decay, rising to three in 10 by the age of five, they also warn.
Ministers are being urged to develop and implement a national child oral health improvement strategy, with a focus on improvements for children in the North of England and those in areas of deprivation.
This strategy should be overseen by a national board, including representatives from local councils, government, dental organisations, academics and charities.
Expanding the soft drinks levy to include sugary milk drinks should be among priorities of the strategy, suggests the report, alongside curbs on marketing to sugar products to children and schools encouraging toothbrushing.
The report also details that a third of children in deprived areas of the North of England, Scotland and Wales have tooth decay by the time they reach school years 7 and 8.
Tooth decay is now the most common reason for hospital admissions among five- to nine-year-olds, after years of declining NHS dental places.
Last year 27,000 children in England were on NHS waiting lists for dental care by specialists due to the poor state of their teeth.
A Child of the North report launched today - led by @n8research, @_henorth and @annelongfield’s @Cfyounglives - urges the government to expand #sugartaxes, ban sale of energy drinks to under 16s, and roll out initiatives to tackle the #toothdecaycrisis https://t.co/JwnFo6agrY pic.twitter.com/KwOfM20HYG
— Child of the North (@ChildoftheNort1) September 13, 2024
“It is staggering that so many children, particularly in the North of England and those living in low-income families, are now growing up with tooth decay and suffering from toothache and discomfort,” said Longfield.
“This can affect their quality of life, sleep patterns, eating habits, and impact on school readiness and attendance, speech and language development, and overall confidence. In some areas it has sadly become the norm.
“Many children are not only missing out on NHS dental healthcare but are more likely to suffer tooth decay from a younger age.
“The government’s proposals for a programme of supervised toothbrushing in schools is a positive step forward, as is its overall focus on boosting children’s wellbeing.
“We urge ministers to be radical, go much further, and ignore any accusations of a ‘nanny state’. We need to take evidence-based action and to develop a national plan to tackle a rotten teeth crisis affecting millions of our children,” she added.
Positive local action already taking place includes the HABIT public health initiative in Bradford to help health visitors talk to parents about the importance of oral health.
Another is the Smile Squad project in Liverpool, involving local dentists and Liverpool Football Club’s foundation.
Peter Day, professor of paediatric dentistry at the University of Leeds said: “As a paediatric dentist, I see the impact of tooth decay on children every day in my clinic.
“There is still much to do. This report lays out strong evidence for what works. We need to reorient and coordinate national and local public services towards prevention and ‘turn the taps off.’
“All children deserve the best start in life, and this includes having a healthy set of teeth.”
