Nearly half of children have not visited the dentist in the past year and more than 5 million must have already been to the dentist, according to a compelling new study.
This comes at a time when rotten teeth remain the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine, driven by poor nutrition, lack of proper tooth brushing and the difficulty of finding a dentist in so-called “dental deserts”.
The NHS recommends that under-18s visit the dentist at least once a year because their teeth can decay more quickly than those of adults, who are advised to have a check-up every two years.
But a new study by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats (which must stand), shows that 5.35 million children have not been seen for at least a year.
This includes almost a million children in the south-east of England alone, where almost half (46.1 per cent) are late with their appointments.
Tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospitalization in children aged five to nine. (File photo)
A study has shown that 5.35 million children have not been seen for at least a year. (File photo)
This situation is similar to that of the rest of the country, where 44.6 percent of children no longer need to undergo a medical check-up.
Hackney, a deprived London borough, has the worst record in England, with 62.3 per cent of children not in care last year.
Other areas with high rates include Herefordshire (61.7 per cent), Portsmouth (59.3 per cent) and Thurrock (58.54 per cent).
The researchers estimated the number of children who had not visited the dentist during the year up to March 2024 using official population data and NHS statistics.
Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: “It is a scandal that across the country millions of children are lacking basic dental care.
‘The previous Conservative government so mismanaged NHS dentistry that it presided over underspending in the dental budget while children’s teeth were rotting away.
‘This appalling situation cannot continue.
‘We, the Liberal Democrats, are calling for an emergency registration scheme so that children who are eligible for free checks can actually access them, and a reform of the broken dental contract to bring more dentists back into the NHS and end the dental deserts scandal.
‘The new government cannot waste time in tackling this emergency and rescuing NHS dentistry to ensure our children receive the care they deserve.’
The British Dental Association, which represents dentists, has warned that deep inequalities in oral health are already widening as a result of persistent access problems.
Eddie Crouch, chairman of the BDA, said: ‘The Government has a duty to the millions of children who are excluded to ensure that NHS dentistry has a future.
“The gap in oral health between rich and poor is widening. The only way to restore this service is to fix the broken contract that fuels this crisis.”
Dr Helen Stewart, health improvement officer at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: ‘The link between deprivation and tooth decay is undeniable, with children living in low-income areas more than twice as likely to have tooth decay than their wealthier peers.
The NHS recommends that under-18s visit the dentist at least once a year because their teeth can decay more quickly than those of adults. (File image)
Researchers calculated the number of children who had not visited a dentist in the year to March 2024 using official population data and NHS statistics. (File image)
“This is totally unacceptable in one of the richest nations in the world.
‘Pediatricians regularly see children with poor oral health who present with constant pain, infections, altered sleeping and eating patterns, and diminished well-being.
‘Poor oral health in childhood also increases the risk of dental problems in adulthood, such as tooth loss and chronic gum disease, which has even been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
‘Our dental colleagues are doing their best to meet demand, but they cannot make significant progress without further support.
‘We want to see good oral health habits encouraged by implementing supervised tooth brushing programmes in all nurseries and primary schools and by ensuring that all children are seen by a dentist by the age of one.
‘Proper workforce planning and funding are also essential if we are to improve the health of our nation.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘It is unacceptable that too many people, including children, are unable to access the dental treatment they need.
‘That’s why rebuilding NHS dentistry is a priority for this government.
‘We will start with 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments to help those most in need and reform the dental contract to encourage more dentists to offer NHS services to patients.
“Prevention is better than cure, which is why we will also introduce supervised tooth brushing for children aged three to five in the most disadvantaged communities.”