Poor dental arithmetic adds up to pupils needing help at school

Insufficient funding and shrinking numbers of NHS dentists is creating a tooth decay crisis amongst our children, so classroom toothbrushing makes sense

- SUSAN LEE

CAN you guess the single biggest reason UK children aged between six and 10 get admitted to hospital?

Chickenpox, perhaps? That old favourite – peas up the nose?

Wrong on all counts. The answer is far more shocking – it’s their teeth.

Here in 2024, tooth decay remains the biggest cause of hospital admissions for kids in this age group.

And of course decay and deprivation go hand in hand – rates of rot for children and young people living in the most deprived communities are nearly three and a half times that of those living in the most affluent.

The Labour Party has brought forward an idea to introduce supervised toothbrushing for young children in England’s primary schools. If successful, Wales may follow.