Physical Wellness

Bad Teeth Diagnosed in Unacceptably High Number of Kids

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Mar 01, 2016 10:46 AM EST

Children aged under 10 years and under have been increasingly diagnosed with tooth decay and other teeth related problems. As many as 128,558 cases have been reported so far where one or more teeth have been pulled out since 2011.

Data accumulated from Health and Social Care Information Center shows that 14,445 cases were reported for children under 5-years between 1st April 2014 and 31st March 2015. The children between six and ten years, the number further increased to 19,336 cases. In the period of analysis, there were a total of 33,781 cases in total that was a sharp increase from 30,761 cases in 2011/12, reports Sky News.

Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said the overall 9.81% increase was "unacceptable".

"Not only is tooth decay distressing to children and parents, it has serious social and financial implications," he said.

"The need for tooth extraction continues to be the number one reason why five to nine-year-old children are admitted to hospital.

"This issue urgently needs to be addressed, especially since 90% of tooth decay is preventable."

Prof Hunt added that to get the situation under control, it was imperative to provide better oral healthcare education. However, this was only part of the solution. He also added that the dental professionals should work in collaboration with the government so that they can together raise awareness amongst children and educate them about the impact of sugar in their teeth. They should also improve their access to NHS dental services.

London had the record number of children that needed hospital admission as an impatient for problems related to tooth decay. As many as 8,362 cases were reported in 2014/15, as reported by Sky News.

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