MANY children starting primary school in Brighton and Hove have suffered tooth decay, new figures from Public Health England show.

Hundreds of children in Brighton & Hove are suffering from tooth decay, with many often needing emergency hospital trips for surgery under general anaesthetic. In almost 50% of cases, these children aren’t even of primary school age yet!

Tooth decay in children is a hot topic.

We’ve discussed it a lot on our blog, and recently we had seen a small but promising decline in the number of tooth decay cases in children. Unfortunately though, this ‘tragedy’ in Brighton makes us think that the decline isn’t here to stay!

A recent study has shown that the rate of tooth decay in children in Brighton and Hove was higher than that across the rest of the South East, where 16.4 per cent of five-year-olds had tooth decay. Children in Brighton and Hove often had widespread issues, with multiple teeth affected. The percentage of children in the sample who have needed a tooth out – 4.6 per cent – suggests that around 130 children in the city had required an extraction, aged five or younger.

Tooth decay remains the number one reason for planned hospital admissions for children in the UK.

Prevention is better than cure, and it would appear that parents and children themselves are un-educated about children’s oral health.  We don’t mean that in a patronising way, but brushing twice a day at home for two minutes is only the beginning. Ensuring you children have good oral health is dependent on more than just brushing.

Almost 1/3 of UK parents don’t know that their children are eligible for free NHS dental care up until the age of 18. Parents can register their child with a dentist from birth and can take their child to the dentist before their first teeth even begin to show. From then, dentists recommend a check up every 6 months. The sooner you introduce your child to the dentist, the sooner your child will trust in their dentist and are less likely to develop a fear of the dentist.

Diet is incredibly important too. Do you often allow your child to snack on sugary foods? Are you giving them bottles to bed? You need to consider your child’s sugar intake. Too much sugar causes the teeth to rot, leading to tooth decay and cavities. Opt for sugar free alternatives wherever possible, limit sugary snacks intake – keep treats for the weekend!

We can help you  register your child with a dentist, whether you’re in the Brighton &  Hove email or further afield. It all starts with a simple location search on our website www.defactodentists.com