Toothbrushes are becoming a “luxury item” for some families, a leading doctor has warned as she described the state of children’s dental health as a “national disgrace”. Dr Camilla Kingdon, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the cost of living crisis was exacerbating the problem of children with rotten teeth.
Tooth decay is the leading reason for hospital admissions in England among five to nine year olds. In an interview with The BMJ, she said: “The state of children’s teeth… is actually a national disgrace.
“The commonest reason for a child having a general anaesthetic in this country is dental clearance. That’s a terrible admission of failure.”
