Conservatives would give 5-yr-olds free dental check-up

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Every five-year-old in the country would get a free dental check-up at school under a Conservative Government, shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley has pledged. Children would be shown how to brush their teeth properly and warned of the dangers of having too many sweets and sugary drinks. Department of Health guidelines in 2007 removed the obligation on Primary Care Trusts to provide dental screening to schoolchildren. Figures obtained by the Conservative party show that 64 per cent of PCTs are no longer screening children.