The survey, which collected data during the 2023 to 2024 school year, showed:
- The national prevalence of children aged 5 with enamel and/or dentinal decay was 26.9%.
- Children living in the most deprived areas of the country were more than twice as likely to have experienced dentinal decay (32.2%) as those living in the least deprived areas (13.6%).
- There were also disparities in the percentage of those who had experienced dentinal decay by ethnic group, which was significantly higher in the Other ethnic group (45.4%) and the Asian or Asian British ethnic group (37.7%).
- The majority (81.4%) of 5-year-old children’s decayed teeth across England were untreated, however, 8.1% of the decayed teeth had been extracted because of decay.
RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement, Dr Helen Stewart, said:
This recent data, although disturbing, comes as no real surprise. For paediatricians and other health workers on the frontlines, poor oral health is one of the more apparent and prevalent health inequalities and crucially highlights the level of poverty and deprivation in England. Tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admission in children and the link between deprivation and decay is undeniable, with children living in lower-income areas more than twice as likely to have tooth decay than their more affluent peers. These kinds of disparities are unacceptable in a nation as rich as our own.
We know that tooth decay can be prevented by sustainable healthy changes in diet and in the establishment of good oral hygiene. We previously welcomed the Government’s national targeted toothbrushing scheme for children, which will no doubt make a difference in the prevention of tooth decay. Though we note that no decision has been made on our calls for implementing mandatory guidelines on the amount of sugar and salt that baby food can contain.
However, we must also acknowledge that a key driver of tooth decay is poverty. If we are ever to make meaningful and long-term change then we must get serious about ending child poverty once and for all. If Government is to truly create the healthiest generation ever, then a fully funded, long term poverty strategy that puts children at the centre is essential. We are once again urging Government to end the unfair and damaging two-child benefit cap.