Children in Wigan have unhealthier teeth than peers across England

A body representing councils called on the Government to address disparities in children's dental health across the country and invest in prevention measures where they are needed most.

It comes after the Government announced it will roll out a supervised toothbrushing scheme in schools in the most deprived areas to tackle inequalities in children's oral health.

Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show under-20-year-olds in Wigan were admitted to hospital around 405 times for a decaying tooth extraction in 2023-24 – down from 545 the year before.

It means there were approximately 523 rotten tooth extractions per 100,000 children in the area.

Nationally, there were about 30,587 episodes of decaying tooth extractions for 0 to 19-year-olds last year – equivalent to around 229 per 100,000 children and young people and a significantly lower rate than in Wigan.

The total number of admissions for tooth decay dropped by two per cent last year, while the figures also exposed significant regional and economic disparities across the country.

Sheffield had the highest rate of admissions at around 1,145 per 100,000 people, compared to only about 15 per 100,000 in Leicester, which was the lowest.

Meanwhile, children living in the most deprived areas were nearly 3.5 times more likely to be admitted for decaying teeth than those living in the most affluent communities.

Coun David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community well-being board, said tooth decay in children is "largely preventable", and called on the Government to invest in the improvement of local authority-run dental health initiatives such as supervised toothbrushing.

He added "stark inequalities" in children's dental health across the country "must be addressed".

"We must take urgent action to reduce tooth decay in children, particularly in the most disadvantaged communities," he said.

The figures also show tooth decay remained the most common reason for hospital admissions in children aged between five and nine years old in 2023-24.

It also accounted for 62 per cent of all tooth extractions for those aged 19 and under.

Dr Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, welcomed the fall in decaying tooth extractions but warned it remains "far too high".

He said tooth decay has an "enormous" impact on children's welfare while being "entirely preventable", and urged the Government to implement preventive programmes such as supervised toothbrushing in schools.

Dr Carter added: "Every day we delay, more children suffer unnecessary pain, miss school and require hospital treatment.

"The Government has been given the solutions – now it must deliver them."

Health minister Stephen Kinnock said: "These findings are a stark reminder of the awful situation so many children up and down the country continue to face with their oral health.

"We must end the postcode lottery that so many individuals fall victim to – which is why this Government has already started tackling the crisis in NHS dentistry by delivering an extra 700,000 urgent dental appointments across the country so that people in excruciating pain can get the treatment they deserve.

"From prevention to reforming the dental contract, we will work with our partners to get dentistry working for patients again."