Spokesperson Claire Steven said: “I am one of the hospital based paediatric dentists extracting children’s teeth week in and week out and the pressure is relentless. As soon as I have finished in theatre, back at our clinic another eight patients will have been added to our waiting list.
“I can be taking out all the baby teeth of a child as young as two or three in one procedure; at another appointment I am providing dentures for teenagers. This is sad, especially when we know that dental decay is a disease which is almost entirely preventable.
“What’s required is the commissioning of evidence based prevention outlined by Public Health England and this is the responsibility of local councils. We need oral health promotion programmes which meet the needs of local communities, including supervised tooth brushing in nurseries and fluoride varnish application programmes. This is the approach taken in Scotland where the number of hospital based dental extractions has been dramatically reduced.
“In some areas of England, essential oral health promotion programmes are being squeezed due to lack of funds. Oral health education is vital at a time when there is over consumption of sweetened and sugary products. We would like to think that the LGA and the 370 local councils that it represents can maintain spending on evidence based oral health promotion programmes in all areas where it’s needed.”