Up to a fifth of children in the US do not see a dentist on a regular basis.
A fifth of children in the US do not see a dentist every year, new figures have shown. 
Research carried out by the Pew Centre revealed most US states lack key policies to ensure children are provided with annual dental health check-ups, USA Today reported.
Shelly Gehshan, director of the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign, commented: “Americans will be spending $106 billion (£68.66 billion) on dental care this year. Much of that pays for costly treatments such as fillings and root canals, which have their origins in poor childhood dental care.”
Ms Genshan added preventative care would ultimately be more cost-effective.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, three NHS emergency dentistry centres are to be closed in Northamptonshire in order to ensure patients see the same dentist whenever they have a check-up.
Premises at St Leonard’s Road, Far Cotton, as well as in Daventry and Corby, are to shut down in order to provide greater continuity in care.