The Nuffield Trust has published a new analysis on the state of child dental health across different regions of England.

The analysis explores Office of National Statistics (ONS) data on the proportion of untreated dental decay and tooth extractions among five-year-olds in different parts of the country.

It was revealed that in 2024, a higher proportion of five-year olds in London and northern England experienced dental decay and tooth extractions than children in other parts of England.

The analysis estimated that 23.4 per cent of children had dental decay across London, 26.8 per cent in the North West and 19.8 per cent in the North East and Yorkshire. This is compared with an average of 17.4 per cent across South East and South West England.

Further to this, five-year-old children living in the most deprived areas of England were almost three times more likely to experience dental decay and four times as likely to have a tooth extraction in 2024. Many of these deprived areas are in London and northern England.

The analysis also revealed that at least 30 per cent of South-East Asian and Arab children experienced dental decay in 2024, compared to 15 per cent of White British children. The researchers said this highlights the link between deprivation and ethnicity.

Stuti Bagri, Nuffield Trust researcher and author of the analysis, said, “Access to NHS-funded dental treatment is in short supply and sadly this is having a big impact on some of the most vulnerable children in the country. Poor oral health, in the form of tooth decay, can at best be unpleasant and at worst all-consuming.

“Preventative measures targeted at deprived areas, such as the supervised toothbrushing programme announced this year for three to five-year-olds, could play a part in addressing these inequalities. However, we also need a greater focus on ensuring children can see an NHS dentist, wherever they live in England.”

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