Children’s oral health crisis must be addressed to improve overall wellbeing

Child of the North, Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives think tank and co-authored by researchers from the University of Sheffield's School of Clinical Dentistry, published a report on September 13, 2024, which revealed the substantial and wide-ranging extent of tooth decay for children across England.

The report is entitled ‘An evidence-based plan for improving children’s oral health with and through educational settings.

It recommended reducing sugar consumption among children, optimising fluoride exposure, increasing dental care access and creating a national child oral health strategy.

Paula Waterhouse, president of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, said, “This report reveals how higher levels of deprivation and associated unmet dental need are more seriously impacting children and young people living in the north of England compared with their southern counterparts.