A new report published by Child of the North and the Centre for Young Lives think tank, “An evidence-based plan for improving children’s oral health with and through educational settings”, makes a series of new proposals to tackle the children’s oral health crisis in England which is seeing millions of children suffering from tooth decay.
The report calls on the new Government to develop a national child oral health strategy and makes recommendations to reduce sugar consumption among children, optimise fluoride exposure, and increase access to dental care. It is the eighth in a series of Child of the North/Centre for Young Lives reports published in 2024 focusing on how the new Government can put the life chances of young people at the heart of policy making and delivery.
Today’s report reveals the substantial and wide-ranging extent of tooth decay affecting millions of children and young people in England, and its impact on their quality of life. Untreated disease can cause toothache, sleepless nights, and altered eating habits, and may also impact negatively on the development of speech and language. Poor oral health can lower confidence and affected children may be less likely to reach their developmental potential. There is also evidence to suggest that even when accounting for the different levels of tooth decay, the burden of tooth decay on the lives of children living in deprived areas is more severe.
The report recommends the new Government develops and implements a national child oral health improvement strategy to improve children’s oral health and reduce social inequalities, particularly those experienced by children and young people in the North of England. This would be overseen by a national board including representatives from government departments, local government, dental organisations and specialist societies, universities, citizen representatives, and charities.
It sets out proposals to maximise the impact of early years and education-based interventions, co-designed by health visitors, nurseries, and schools, and also calls for dental services to be re-orientated towards prevention of dental diseases among children and young people.
The report has highlighted the University of Liverpool Smile Squad project as one of the innovative approaches which are already addressing children’s oral health problems.
The University’s Paediatric Dentistry team is working with Liverpool FC’s LFC Foundation charity and a dental practice to deliver the ‘Smile Squad’ Children’s Dental Health initiative in Liverpool City Region primary schools. Its dental screenings identify children who have unmet dental needs, providing them with evidence-based prevention and signposting onwards to dental services. The scheme also includes a supervised tooth brushing programme, community workshops and refugee outreach events.
Honorary consultant in Paediatric Dentistry and the Vice Dean for Research and Postgraduate Studies at the University’s School of Dentistry, Professor Sondos Albadri said: “Children’s oral health is at a crisis point and action is required now. I welcomed the opportunity to contribute to this report which bring together evidence-based recommendations and highlights the needs for collaborative working to make a difference.
“As a paediatric dentist in Liverpool I see first-hand the devastating effect of dental decay on children. Despite a lot of excellent initiatives this report highlights that there is more work required, it also highlights the role of universities in supporting local authorities to implement evidence-based interventions.”