Children in deprived areas three times more likely to have tooth decay

The findings highlight an urgent need for equitable access to preventive dentistry.

Vanessa Muirhead, co-author, reader and honorary consultant in Dental Public Health at Queen Mary, said, “Sadly, our findings demonstrate wide socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities related to access to dental care and outcomes.

“Tooth extraction is a last resort, but when families have difficulty accessing timely preventive and treatment services, dental problems can progress until children need more serious and costly interventions such as multiple tooth extractions under general anaesthesia.”

The research

In the study, published July 16, 2024, in BMJ Public Health, researchers analysed de-identified GP and hospital records for 600,000 children between the ages of five and 16 living in north-east London.