BASCD response to new figures which show:
Around 105 children a day are having teeth removed in hospital due to preventable tooth decay
According to data published by Public Health England (PHE) today (1) Wednesday 6th March 2019.
· Nine out of ten hospital tooth extractions among children aged 0 to 5 are due to preventable tooth decay
· Tooth extraction are still the most common hospital procedure for 6 to 10 year olds
· Around 105 children a day are having teeth removed in hospital in England every day (2)
Children are consuming 8 sugar cubes more than the recommended daily limit of sugar and while there are improvements in dental health, significant inequalities still remain.
Tooth decay can cause problems with eating and sleeping and is estimated that 60,000 school days are lost because of dental extractions in hospital every year.
Dr Sandra White, Dental Lead for Public Health England, said:
“Children are consuming far too much sugar each day, and this can have a very serious impact on their oral health.
“Parents can help reduce their children’s sugar intake by making simple swaps when shopping and making sure their children’s teeth are brushed twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Small
The Public Health England Change4Life campaign is encouraging parents to:
1. Swap sugary drinks and snacks for lower or no sugar alternatives
2. Limit fruit juice and smoothies to a total of 150ml per day and only consume these with meals
3. Ensure children brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste (once before bedtime and once during the day) and remind them to ‘spit not rinse’
Dr Derek Richards, BASCD president said:
“This data highlights the importance of supporting people to reduce their sugar consumption”
“At BASCD, we support the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (3) which include working to reduce the amount of sugar in food and drink and helping people to make healthier choices this includes
- Lowering the amount of free sugars in food and drinks;
- Restricting the marketing and promotion of sugar-containing products;
- Reducing the amount of sugar-containing food and drinks sold;
- Advising, educating and helping people to consume less sugar;
- Reducing the amount of sugar produced”
1. PHE data: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/oral-health.
2. There were 59,314 tooth extractions in 2017/18 (38,385 extractions because of tooth decay). In 2016/17 the total number of tooth extractions was 61,301 (39,010 extractions because of tooth decay).
3. https://www.bascd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/BASCD_FreeSugars-Statement_March-2018.pdf