The number of children having rotten teeth extracted in English hospitals has risen by 17%, with two-thirds of all extractions due to tooth decay, according to government figures.
More than 47,580 tooth extractions in NHS hospitals took place across England for patients aged 19 and under in 2022-23, according to figures published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Of these, 66% were due to a primary diagnosis of tooth decay.
On average, 119 extractions take place every working day across England, costing £40.7m a year.
The government this week published its long-awaited dental recovery plan, in which it pledged to give NHS dentists a “new patient” payment of between £15 and £50 to help care for the 1 million patients who have not seen a dentist in two years or more.
The plan was heavily criticised by experts, with the British Dental Association saying it was just “rearranging the deckchairs” and wouldn’t “halt the exodus from the workforce or offer hope to millions struggling to access care”.
The BDA also said that the £3bn dental budget has remained static for a decade and has not accounted for inflation and rising demand. It says the budget has been cut in real terms by more than £1bn since 2010.
Four in five dentists in England are not taking on new NHS patients and, according to analysis by the Labour party, 71.1% are not accepting children. Tooth decay is the most common reason for children aged between five and nine being admitted to hospital.
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, the dean of the faculty of dental surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “The latest figures are a sobering reminder of the prevalence of tooth decay, something which is largely preventable. The 17% jump in the number of episodes of decay-related tooth extractions in hospitals for 0 to 19-year-olds highlights the urgent need for improved access to NHS dentists.
“Children and young people should be encouraged to brush their teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste, visit the dentist and cut down on sugary foods that can lead to decay. The data lays bare the huge inequalities in dental care and enormous cost to the NHS, with decay-related tooth extraction episode rates for children and young people living in the most deprived communities nearly three and a half times that of those living in the most affluent communities.”
David Fothergill, the chair of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said: “These stark figures reveal that a lack of access to affordable dentistry is having a worrying impact on the state of children’s teeth.
“The fact that, due to the severity of the decay, on average 119 operations are taking place each day to remove decaying teeth in children and teenagers is concerning and also adds to current pressures on our health service.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Access to dental services is improving, and last year around 800,000 more children saw an NHS dentist. Our new dental recovery plan sets out how we will make access to dentistry faster, simpler and fairer. The plan – backed by £200 million of government funding – will create an additional 2.5 million dental appointments for patients over the next 12 months.
“We will also drive a major new focus on prevention and good oral health in young children. This includes the Smile for Life programme – providing advice to parents and parents-to-be to promote good practices in their children – and providing fluoride varnish for children in schools in under-served areas to reduce tooth decay.”
• This article was amended on 9 February 2024. An earlier version said that government figures showed that the number of children having rotten teeth extracted in English hospitals had risen by 17%, with two-thirds of these extractions due to tooth decay. In fact, it is two-thirds of all extractions in children which is due to tooth decay.
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