Greater effort into preventative strategies needed

Whilst Denplan welcomes the news from Public Health England that the number of five year olds with tooth decay has dropped to its lowest level in almost a decade, there is still much greater effort needed to install better prevention strategies in order to eradicate this entirely preventable dental disease in the child population.

Commenting on the PHE survey results, Henry Clover, Chief Dental Officer at Denplan said: “Although the figures show that the number of five year olds with tooth decay has dropped from 31 per cent in 2008 down to less than 25 per cent, this still represents a quarter of the country’s five year olds suffering from an entirely preventable disease. Focusing on comparing data to previous years is not that helpful and the Government, working with the profession, must not shy away from seeking to tackle this problem head on. 

“The current NHS contract makes it more difficult for dentists to care for children with the worst dental health, a key factor in the need to reform the system introduced in 2006. Any new contract must put prevention strategies at the forefront and recognise that good dental health in childhood is vital, not only for lifelong oral wellbeing, but for good overall health.