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LGA - Hospitals spending £35 million on "rotting teeth" in children
The cost of removing rotting teeth in children and teenagers has soared by 61 per cent in the last five years, leading to fears that youngsters' sugar addiction is spiralling out of control, councils warn.
The Local Government Association, which represents more than 370 councils with responsibility for public health, is concerned that the rise in cases of tooth decay will mean children are forced to miss school to attend hospital for an operation.
Latest figures show that hospitals spent £35 million on multiple teeth extraction in under 18s in 2014/15, compared with £21 million in 2010/11. Over the last five years, this amounts to nearly £140 million.
Council leaders believe that excessive consumption of fizzy drinks and foods high in added sugar are a major reason behind the surge in cases of treatment – 40,970 procedures in 2014/15 compared with 32,457 – an increase of more than a quarter.
The numbers mean that more than 100 operations to remove teeth in children and teens are taking place each day in hospitals rather than dentists, due to the severity of the tooth decay.
And given the high frequency of operations, town halls say it is inevitable this will mean some pupils taking time off school for hospital appointments.
The LGA has called for the Government to include tough measures to tackle young people's sugar consumption in its forthcoming childhood obesity strategy.
These include a reduction of sugar content and teaspoon labelling of sugar content in soft drinks, and greater availability of water in nurseries, schools and colleges as an alternative to soft drinks.
Dental decay is the top cause of childhood hospital admission for children aged between five and nine, with nearly 26,000 admitted in 2013/14 - making 8.7 per cent of all admissions.
Youngsters in the UK are the biggest soft drinkers in Europe – with 40 per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds drinking sugary drinks at least once a day. Poland is the second highest at 27 per cent, and Germany third with 18.5 per cent.
Under-10s get almost a fifth of their sugar intake from soft drinks and for 11 to 18-year-olds, that figure is nearly a third.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, the LGA's Community Wellbeing spokeswoman, said:>
"Our children's teeth are rotting because they are consuming too much food and drink high in sugar far too often. Nearly half of 11 to 15-year-olds have a sugary drink at least once a day. As these figures show, we don't just have a child obesity crisis, but a children's oral health crisis too.
"What makes these numbers doubly alarming is the fact so many teeth extractions are taking place in hospitals rather than dentists. This means the level of tooth decay is so severe that removal is the only option. It goes to show that a good oral hygiene routine is essential, as well as how regular dentist trips can ensure tooth decay is tackled at an early stage.
"Poor oral health can affect children and young people's ability to sleep, eat, speak, play and socialise with others. Having good oral health can help children learn at school, and improve their ability to thrive and develop, not least because it will prevent school absence."
Case studies
Suffolk
Nearly 20 per cent of five-year-olds have tooth decay in Suffolk. Some children already have three to four decayed teeth by the time they start school. To help tackle tooth decay, Suffolk County Council has launched an oral health improvement strategy. The five-year programme includes a new oral health pack to be given to every mother at their child's eight/nine month check. The pack includes a child's toothbrush, fluoride tooth paste and a leaflet about oral health and reducing sugar intake.
Hammersmith and Fulham
"Book and Brush at Bedtime" features a children's book written by a local author which aims to establish bedtime routines to promote good oral health, including brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste as the last thing a child does before going to sleep. The scheme aims to ensure good bedtime routines remain throughout the rest of childhood and into adult life. The book has also been read with groups of young children in local libraries and children's centres, alongside distribution of fluoride toothpaste and brush packs.
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Council has commissioned the Smile Award Plus programme to run in nurseries and children's centres. Smile Award accreditation is awarded to those with a "tooth friendly" food and snack policy, which limit sugary snacks and provide water and milk over sugary and acidic drinks. To date 94 per cent of children's centres have achieved accreditation. Evaluation suggests that behaviour and dietary changes have been made by families as a result.
Notes to editors
- NHS reference costs for secondary care – including costs of teeth extraction and number of procedures https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-reference-costs and https://fullfact.org/health/ask-full-fact-does-nhs-spend-30-million-pulling-kids-teeth-because-sugar/
Costs over last five years
2014/15 - 40,970 extractions of multiple teeth in under 18s - £35,299,504
2013/14 - 39,175 - £30,926,165
2012/13 - 36,833 - £27,264,657
2011/12 - 35,187 - £23,691,471
2010/11 - 32,457 - £21,889,070
