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More than a third of Bolton children are suffering from tooth decay in a “crisis that has been ignored for far too long.” This comes with the government preparing to roll out a new programme of supervised tooth brushing for youngsters alongside a raft of other emergency measures. In Bolton action has been sorely needed with nearly 35 per cent of five-year-olds, coming to 1,362 children, afflicted with tooth decay.
Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi said: "As the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Dentistry, I was shocked to hear about the number of children in Bolton with tooth decay and other serious dental problems. “The government have rightly prioritised dental health as a key obstacle in making sure that everyone in the country, especially in Bolton South and Walkden, is able to lead a happy, healthy life. A range of measures are being brought in to address the dentistry crisis (Image: PA) “The supervised toothbrushing scheme and the announcement of extra emergency dental appointments is an important first step.
“But what we need is urgent reform and investment in NHS dentistry so that this help reaches the people who need it most and it keeps dentists working in the NHS, rather than going private.” The state of youngsters’ teeth has long been a cause of concern in Bolton were earlier this year a study by the National Dental Epidemiology Programme laid out stark findings. One examining a sample of 341 Bolton five years olds in the last school year they found that nearly 44 per cent had enamel decay or worse.
They also found that nearly a third of the children whose teeth they examined had one or more teeth with dentin decay that had gone “obviously” untreated. According to their study this made Bolton the 15th worse area in the North West for dental care. The government’s series of programmes will be aimed at addressing stark findings like these.
The supervised toothbrushing scheme is set to be rolled out across the country and focused on areas most in need like Bolton. It will see children between the ages of three and five encouraged to brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste in early years settings like nurseries and schools. The £11M nationwide scheme is backed by the Department for Social Care and the Department for Education with around 600,000 children expected to take part.
The supervised toothbrushing for youngsters is one of a range of measures the government has launched to address the dental crisis. This will also include 700,000 extra urgent NHS dental appointments to be made available across England, around 18,000 of them in Greater Manchester. These are set to focus on areas like Bolton where getting access to NHS dentists has been hardest over recent years.
Bolton Council cabinet member for health Cllr Jackie Schofield said this would help to address the crisis in the borough. She said: “Far too many families in Bolton are struggling to get a dentist appointment, and as a result, over 1,300 young children in our town are already suffering from tooth decay. "That’s not just unacceptable, it’s preventable.
"This crisis has been ignored for too long, leaving too many parents unable to get the care their children need.” She added: “Labour is taking action to fix this, with urgent appointments to get patients seen and a long-term plan to rebuild NHS dentistry for the future. “Alongside this, the introduction of a new supervised toothbrushing scheme for three- to five-year-olds will make a huge difference in improving children’s oral health, particularly in the areas that need it most.
“After years of neglect, the work of change has begun, and we’re determined to make sure everyone in Bolton can access the NHS dental care they deserve.” The moves have been broadly welcomed, but education professionals like the National Association of Head Teachers have warned that this could create yet more pressures for them. NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: “There is no doubt that there is a crisis in childhood dental health in this country and the Government are right to make it a priority .
“However, we cannot keep loading increasing expectations on schools. ALSO READ: The shocking state of children's teeth in Bolton - and what is being done ALSO READ: Dental clinic offers grants to people in need of dental implants ALSO READ: New dental practice opens in Bolton “Nor can we keep looking to schools to fix all of society’s ills. “Most people would see tooth-brushing as a basic part of parenting, and we must be careful not to shift what is ultimately a parental responsibility on to the shoulders of schools.
“The new expectations around breakfast clubs are already placing increasing demands in schools, there is only so much we can expect teachers and school staff to do. “We would urge the Government to think further about how parents can be supported to look after their children’s oral health and to focus on rebuilding NHS dentistry.” The scheme was officially launched on Friday March 7 with funding expected to be made available from April this year.
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