'Shocking' rise in young children having baby teeth removed

A new analysis of NHS data by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) shows that the number of children under four in England who have had teeth removed has risen by 24 per cent over the last ten years, up from 7,444 extractions in 2006/07 to 9,206 in 2015/16.

Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the RCS, described the figures as ‘absolutely shocking’.

‘When you see the numbers tallied up like this it becomes abundantly clear that the sweet habits of our children are having a devastating effect on the state of their teeth. That children as young as one or two need to have teeth extracted is shocking. It’s almost certain that the majority of these extractions will be down to tooth decay caused by too much sugar in diets,’ Professor Hunt said.

‘What is really distressing about these figures is that 90 per cent of tooth decay is preventable through reducing sugar consumption, regular brushing with fluoride toothpaste and routine dental visits. Despite NHS dental treatment being free for under-18s, 42 per cent of children did not see a dentist in 2015/16,’ Professor Hunt added.

Speaking on the BBC Today programme, Professor Hunt described sugar as ‘a major factor’ in the rising figures for rotten teeth in children and advised that children should start seeing a dentist regularly ‘really from the age of one-year-old’.

He warned of the frequent consumption of high sugar content foods such as cereal and sweetened yoghurt and sugary drinks, and called for tougher restrictions on adding sugar to foods for manufacturers.

The latest National Diet and Nutrition Survey showed that, between 2012 and 2014, children aged one-and-a-half to- three-years-old consumed 63g of sugar-sweetened soft drinks a day on average.

The RCS is now calling for a significant amount of money raised from the UK’s forthcoming Sugar Tax, which starts in April 2018, to be spent on preventive measures such as local authority schemes and oral health education in school.

The data obtained by RCS also shows that more than 34,000 extractions were performed on children aged nine and under in each of the past two years, compared with 27,760 in 2005/06.

Overall, there were 84,086 tooth extraction procedures between 2006/07 and 2015/16. In 2015/16, there were 47 extractions in babies under the age of one.

The British Dental Association (BDA) lamented a lack of government strategy on tooth decay and ‘England’s persistent oral health inequalities’.

BDA chair Mick Armstrong said, ‘An entirely preventable disease is going almost unchallenged as the leading cause of hospital admissions among young children. These extractions are placing a huge strain on the NHS, and while governments in Wales and Scotland have set out dedicated strategies, ministers in England have offered little more than a collective shrug.

‘It’s a national scandal that a child born in Blackburn is now seven times more likely to experience decay than one born in the Health Secretary’s Surrey constituency. These deep inequalities now require real commitment from government, not just token efforts.’

Mr Armstrong advised parents to ‘think twice’ about what goes into the next sippy cup.

‘Formula, milk and juice all contain natural sugars, and can cause real damage if they’re left in contact with teeth for too long. It might be tempting to use a sweet drink to try and comfort your child, but it can cause real harm to a baby’s vulnerable teeth,’ Mr Armstrong added.

Dr Jenny Godson, National Lead for Oral Health Improvement at Public Health England, said, ‘Tooth decay impacts on a child’s ability to sleep, eat, speak and socialise, with some needing teeth removed in hospital.

‘Tooth decay is preventable and we can all take action – this includes limiting sugary food and drink, making sure children brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, especially before bed, and visiting the dentist regularly.’

Some nurseries and childminders in England are trying to provide preventive support in the fight against tooth decay in young children under programmes such as Smiles4Children, where participants explore the best ways of getting children under five to brush their teeth during the nursery day. 

NHS England said it was undertaking a number of projects aimed at improving the dental attendance of young children, in partnership with the Child Oral Health Improvement Programme Board.

Projects aimed at improving the dental attendance of young children include Starting Well, part of Smile4Life, one of five key priorities for the Chief Dental Office in 2017/18.

The initiative is aimed at areas with poorest oral health and focuses on working with local practices to encourage attendance by young children and delivering better oral health - fluoride varnish, diet and brushing advice.

An NHS England spokesperson said, ‘Dental care for children is free, and tooth decay is preventable, but eating sugary food and drinks is driving this unfortunate epidemic of extractions.’