Dental Conditions of UK Children Worrying

Dental conditions of the UK children are worrying, says a new report. Nearly 30,000 children a year attend hospital to have teeth pulled or be treated for decay.

Dental conditions of the UK children are worrying, says a new report. Nearly 30,000 children a year attend hospital to have teeth pulled or be treated for decay. The number of under-17s hospitalised for dental treatment has been rising steadily since 1997.

A report based on hospital said that children from poor areas were twice as likely to need treatment as those from more affluent families.

Tooth Decay - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention
Tooth decay in toddlers, children and adults, also called dental caries, is a bacterial infection causing demineralization and destruction of the hard tissues of the teeth.

Experts said the findings, published in the British Dental Journal, highlighted a major public health issue.

It has led to criticism of Labour's policy relating to NHS dentists and calls by some for compulsory water fluoridation.

The data revealed there were 517,885 individual courses of dental treatment in NHS hospitals for children up to the age of 17 between 1997 and 2006.

Tooth Discoloration Introduction
Tooth discoloration or staining is caused commonly due to smoking, some medicines and poor dental hygiene.

The total number of children needing treatment was 470,113 and 80% of admissions involved extraction - in two-thirds of cases because of tooth decay.

The peak age for children needing teeth taken out was five.

Bleeding Gums - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Bleeding gums is a condition in which blood leaks from the gums and the spaces between the teeth. Gingivitis and periodontitis are the causes of bleeding gums which result in pain and swollen gums.

Prof David Moles, who led the study at Plymouth's Peninsula Dental School, said yearly rises in hospital admissions had come despite rates of tooth decay and infection remaining steady.

The reasons for this would have to be identified "in order to cut the number of admissions, improve dental care for children and ultimately reduce the financial burden to the NHS", he said.

Loose Teeth - Causes - Symptoms - Treatment - FAQs
Looseness of teeth is caused by a disease of the periodontium and includes the tissues surrounding the teeth.

Dr Paul Ashley, head of paediatric dentistry at University College London's Eastman Dental Institute, was the second author of the study.

He said: "Two aspects of the study are particularly worrying - the rise in the number of general anaesthetics being given to children, and the widening gulf in dental health between social classes."

He said general anaesthetics could be fatal to children.

Tooth decay is preventable through regular brushing and check-ups and Peter Bateman, chairman of the British Dental Association's salaried dentists committee, said: "It is a tragedy that social class remains such an accurate predictor of oral health.

"Water fluoridation, as the long-standing scheme in the West Midlands illustrates, has great potential to address this divide."

A Department of Health spokesman said the study's findings had been influenced by changes in 2001 to ensure anaesthesia was given in hospitals - rather than dental surgeries - for safety reasons.

"There has been no increase in tooth decay in the period covered, which pre-dates the new dental contract," the spokesman said.

"Preventative oral healthcare has actually improved substantially thanks to the new dental contract.

"Recent statistics from the World Health Organisation show that our 12-year olds have the healthiest teeth in Europe."

The government advised the NHS to consider introducing water fluoridation in some areas, where it was supported by communities, to address disparities in oral health, he added.

Source-Medindia
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