In an interview with The BMJ, Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, has argued that the cost of living crisis has aggravated the problems with children’s oral health.

In June 2022, the Oral Health Foundation released data showing that as a result of rising costs, one in four of UK adults were cutting back on oral hygiene products. But Camilla said the crisis has been exacerbated resulting in toothbrushes becoming a “luxury item”.

“The state of children’s teeth… is actually a national disgrace,”says Camilla. “The commonest reason for a child having a general anaesthetic in this country is dental clearance.

“That’s a terrible admission of failure.”

She added, “It reflects diet and it reflects a family’s ability to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste, because when you’re struggling to feed your family, that becomes a luxury item.”

To tackle the crisis, Camilla is calling on ministers to publish a white paper on health inequalities. Concluding the interview, she said, “I’m not pretending this is easy.

“Health inequalities are deeply entrenched, and it is going to take many, many different ways to tackle them. But we need to start somewhere, and there needs to be an intention.”

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