More children could require emergency dentistry due to the lack of water fountains in parks, campaigners have warned.
The Children’s Food Campaign found that only 11 per cent of the 140 UK parks surveyed had water fountains and of those only six per cent had every fountain working.
It is feared that failure to have access to functioning fountains could lead to children seeking out drinks high in sugar instead, which can lead to tooth decay in the long term.
Christine Haigh, coordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, said: “Health professionals advise water is the best thing for thirsty children to drink yet we make it hard for them by failing to provide water fountains in parks.”
The head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association, Dr Vivienne Nathanson, agreed with Ms Haigh’s comments, adding that failing to provide water only encouraged children to have sweetened beverages, which she stated are known to be a cause of poor dental health.
Parents are advised by the British Dental Health Foundation to keep sugary food and drink to a minimum and mealtimes only, as the higher the intake of these types of products the more likely children are to develop tooth decay.