- Analysis of the latest Child of the North initiative, commends government action taken in the past year to improve children’s oral health, including the introduction of a national supervised toothbrushing programme, bans on both the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children and plans for the expansion of water fluoridation in the North of England
- However, the report stresses how more work needs to be done particularly to reduce the social inequalities as over one quarter of five-year-olds have tooth decay but that increases to nearly one half for children living in the most deprived areas of England
- Researchers from the University of Sheffield and University of Leeds who led the updated report acted as advisors on the UK Government’s supervised toothbrushing programme which which aims to reach up to 600,000 children
Improving children's access to NHS dentists and reducing rates of tooth decay should remain a top national government priority, oral health experts say.
Analysis of the latest government data by the Child of the North initiative, which includes researchers from the University of Sheffield, gives cause for cautious optimism, but stresses the need for schemes to be scaled up and strengthened to meet the needs of young people across the country.
The latest update, titled Improving Children’s Oral Health Update: Integrated Health and Education Solutions, is the seventh to be released as part of the Child of the North’s #ChildrenFirst campaign. It comes one year since the initiative exposed the unacceptable state of children’s oral health, and evidence-based solutions to address it.
The update commends government action taken in the past year to improve children’s oral health, including introduction of a national supervised toothbrushing programme; plans for the expansion of water fluoridation in the North East of England; consultation on the expansion of the soft drinks industry levy; and bans on both the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children and on junk food advertising before 9pm.
But it shows that despite these improvements, children living in England’s most deprived communities are still over three times as likely to be admitted to hospital for tooth extractions than those living in more affluent areas.
It also shows:
- 26.9 per cent of five-year-olds have tooth decay
- children living in the most deprived areas of England are more than twice as likely to experience decay as those living in the least deprived areas
- In West Yorkshire, 950 school days were lost for dental reasons across nine schools in one academic year
Zoe Marshman, Professor in Dental Public Health at the University of Sheffield, co-led the report with Peter Day, Professor of Children's Oral Health in the University of Leads' School of Dentistry and Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Both researchers have acted as advisors on the UK Government’s ‘supervised toothbrushing programme’, which aims to reach up to 600,000 children in the most deprived areas. Their BRUSH research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), shows that the programme has been rolled out to 240,000 children across schools and nurseries since launching in March this year.
Professor Zoe Marshman from the University of Sheffield's School of Clinical Dentistry, said: “There has been no real improvement in children’s oral health for nearly 10 years and our first national report published in September 2024 called for urgent action. Since then there have been major new ambitious initiatives announced with real potential to address this worrying trend.
“To achieve this potential requires partnership working across national and local government with child education and health professionals engaging with parents and children.
“Universities are key to evaluating the impact of these initiatives on dental disease and child wellbeing.”
Professor Peter Day added: “These are exciting times. While disease levels remain stubbornly high—impacting our most vulnerable children and families—the government has taken important steps to implement the policy recommendations outlined in our original report.
“As we transition into delivery mode, evaluating the impact of these policies is essential. Engagement from schools and nurseries will be critical. We must capture the broader benefits, particularly those affecting education, such as attendance, school readiness, and attainment.”
#ChildrenFirst builds on a major series of reports produced last year on key topics identified by Northern child health leaders as major issues of concern, including poverty, special educational needs, school attendance and mental health. The reports included evidence-based plans and recommendations for policymakers to help address these issues.
The #ChildrenFirst campaign also includes the launch of toolkits designed to help schools, child health workers and local authorities take practical steps to improve the health and wellbeing issues faced by the children and young people in their care. Organisations can download the toolkits free of charge.
The toolkits provide evidence and suggestions about how all parties can work together to build a country that works for all children and young people. The goal is to ensure alignment between practitioners on the ground and the government's work on the Opportunity Mission to make certain that every child has the best possible start in life.
Baroness Anne Longfield, Founder of the Centre for Young Lives, said: “Action taken by the government since the Child of the North and Centre for Young Lives report is welcome. The reality is that far too many children continue to suffer the effects of poor oral health, particularly in areas of higher deprivation.
“The government’s proposals for a programme of supervised tooth-brushing in schools is a positive step forward, as is its overall focus on boosting children’s wellbeing. But we know that so much more can be achieved - whether through local oral health strategies, supervised toothbrushing, or supporting healthier food and drink choices.
“We need to take evidence-based action and develop a national plan to tackle a rotten teeth crisis affecting millions of our children. We are calling on anyone who cares for children and young people to play their part in tackling this issue.”
Each of the 12 reports is based on in-depth research carried out by academic experts in children and young people’s health and wellbeing from universities across the North of England and beyond, including N8 Research Partnership members Leeds, Manchester, Durham, York, Lancaster, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle, the University of Bradford, and others.
The report update, the original report, toolkits and last year's webinar are all available on the N8 Research Partnership website.
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