Dentists: English authorities inadequate at height of decay epidemic
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 10th April 2018
New data from Public Health England has shown the total number of children facing tooth extractions under general anesthetic is still growing, and dentists blast government efforts for allowing this to happen.
Jon Ashworth, Shadow Health Secretary underwent Parliamentary Questions, which revealed that children have yet to see any benefit from the government’s centerpiece policy ‘Starting Well’. The scheme, designed to improve oral health in ‘high risk’ children, has no new funding attached and operates in just 13 local authorities in England.
The BDA has called the response from English authorities ‘second rate’ and called for a national effort to try harder. Meanwhile, in Scotland, ‘Childsmile’ has already reduced the bill for dental treatment by £5 million a year, while the Welsh equivalent ‘Designed to Smile’ has secured a 12 point fall in decay since 2007.
England has historically enjoyed better oral health levels than devolved nations, and dentist leaders have accused government of complacency in the face of a decay epidemic and persisting, unacceptable inequalities between children from privileged and deprived backgrounds.
BDA chair of General Dental Practice, Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, said: “In the face of a tooth decay epidemic the official response remains woefully inadequate.
“While devolved governments have rolled up their sleeves, authorities in England have chosen to rest on their laurels. The result is an oral health gap that shows no signs of closing.
“To date not a single child has seen any benefit from the government’s unfunded and unambitious plans to act on decay. These figures underline the need for concerted national action.”
