Shocking new figures have revealed that children in Teeside have some of the poorest records of dental health in the country. Figures released by Health and Social Care Information Centre show that the number of fillings and root canal treatments provided to children in the area are among the highest in the country, with children in Stockton, Middlesbrough coming off worst – where a child has a filling every seven minutes.
Kamini Shah, consultant in dental public health with Public Health England in the North East, said that the poor state of dental health in the Teeside area is a reflection of ‘high levels of deprivation’ and she urged parents to teach their children good hygiene habits whilst cutting down on sugary snacks, including fizzy drinks.
Children in Stockton are more than twice as likely to have had teeth removed than in England overall and the council are trying to do something about it by educating parents in the Stockton Borough on how to prevent decay and encourage good oral hygiene. A universal programme for fluoride toothpaste and toothbrushes for nursery-age children has also been rolled out recently, in an effort to get children to look after their teeth from an early age.
Stockton dentist Paran Nithiananthan said that ‘the most important thing is diet’ and added that ‘tooth decay is preventable… A lot of it comes from education but it’s really the parents and carers that have the important responsibility.’