Dental experts and children’s health campaigners have put forward proposals to tackle what they describe as a ‘crisis’ in children’s oral health in England.
The call for action comes after a report highlighted how tooth decay affects millions of children and young people in England with higher rates of gum disease and tooth extractions linked to tooth decay in the most deprived areas of the North.
As well as damaging a child’s health, the report – published by Child of the North and the Center for Young Lives – warns that poor oral health can harm speech development, eating habits and sleep and education of children due to the lack of schoolwork.
National strategy
The report recommends that the government develop a national strategy to improve children’s oral health to improve children’s oral health and reduce social inequalities, particularly for the North. This will be overseen by a national board made up of health experts and policy makers.
Peter Day, professor of pediatric dentistry at the University of Leeds, says: “As a pediatric dentist, I see the effects of tooth decay on children every day in my clinic.
“This report presents strong evidence of what works. We need to reorient and coordinate national and local public services towards prevention.”
It also highlights approaches that are already tackling children’s oral health problems (see table) and sets out how local government can play a key role in reducing sugar consumption.
CASE STUDIES – BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES FROM ENGLAND
Sheffield: targeting high risk groups
Sweet Enough is a five-year initiative commissioned by Sheffield City Council to support residents’ understanding of the harms of excessive sugar consumption. The campaign focuses on working with different communities, such as the Roma community, who have higher rates of attrition in national surveillance reports. A place-based approach was implemented in partnership with schools, early years services and dentists. The initiative used online and billboard advertising and the website contains materials developed based on requests from the local community, which were co-produced to include lesson plans, a ‘feed your family for less’ pack and weaning resources. Partnerships were developed with local businesses, including supermarkets and ‘Places for People’, a social enterprise that runs leisure centers across the city.
West Yorkshire: focus on autism
Responding to calls from parents in West Yorkshire for practical and autism-specific advice on how to improve oral health habits, the ToothPASTE project worked with autistic children and their families and early years professionals to co-design a targeted package support to improve oral cavity health results. This includes a website and training for early years professionals, which aims to ensure they feel confident in providing oral health support that is sensitive to the unique needs of autism. The program can be accessed regardless of receiving a formal diagnosis or not. This whole system approach will be continuously improved in collaboration with local authorities and key stakeholders to ensure its relevance and effectiveness, learning from other successful programmes.
Northeast: improve access
Dental staff and students at Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle Hospitals worked with Westend Foodbank to increase dental access for children aged up to 16 whose families worked with the foodbank for a week in April. Every child attending the food bank was offered a dental checkup and application of fluoride varnish or silver diamine fluoride. In total, 141 children were evaluated – 15 had silver diamine fluoride applied, 125 had fluoride varnish and one refused. Five children had signs of severe caries or abscesses and were referred to the student dental clinics. Involvement with the food bank provided an opportunity to reduce barriers – parents, carers and staff said their trust in the food bank was an important factor in encouraging them to engage with the dental team.
