Call to tax sweets and ban energy drinks to tackle 'shame' of children’s tooth decay crisis in Yorkshire

As a joint report from Child of the North and the Centre for Young Lives calls for a national strategy to improve children’s oral health, it sets out a stark warning.

Only half of children had their NHS annual check last year, it outlines, while in Yorkshire, a third of Yr 7 and Yr 8 age children already had decay in their permanent teeth.

Anne Longfield, who was born and brought up in the region, is the former children's commissioner and founder of think tank Centre for Young Lives.

"It's staggering that so many children are suffering with tooth decay at such a young age," she told The Yorkshire Post. "The fact that three out of 10 five-year-olds have tooth decay - and in areas of disadvantage that rises to half - is something that should shock and shame us all."

Today's report calls for a national evidence-based strategy to be developed by Government, overseen by an expert board and to ease social and postcode lotteries.

Families living in deprived areas are more than twice as likely to have tooth decay, the report outlines, highlighting a stark North vs South and social divide.

Measures include a broader sugar tax, extended to items such as sugary milk drinks, stricter advertising rules, and more exposure to flouride - even delivering dentistry services in schools.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged moves towards these measures and said he was committed to raising the "healthiest generation".

Now early years and education-based interventions, designed by health visitors, nurseries, and schools, could see major change, the report suggests, setting aside accusations of a "nanny state".

It is too easy to imagine that all children's lives are filled with support, said Ms Longfield, and that they can and do visit the dentist.

"The dreadful reality is that they are not attending the dentist often enough, they are bombarded over their dental hygiene," she said. "As a result we are seeing shocking levels of tooth decay and ill health. The impact of that, on children growing up, on their lives and confidence, is devastating.

"These figures really do demonstrate we have a crisis on our hands. None of this is going to fix itself - we have to intervene urgently."

The report also calls for services to focus on prevention, with system reform and innovative commissioning to improve services and access.

Camilla Kingdon, past president of the Royal College of Paediatrics, described the state of children’s dentistry in England as a "national embarrassment".

Report co-authors include Prof Zoe Marshman of the University of Sheffield, and Prof Peter Day of the University of Leeds, who also works with the Bradford community dental service.

Prof Marshman stressed that treatment for tooth decay is the most common reason why young children are admitted to hospital, costing the NHS over £40m a year.

Prof Day said that he sees the impact in his clinic every day. He added: "There is still much to do. We need to re-orient services towards prevention and ‘turn the taps off.’

"All children deserve the best start in life, and this includes having a healthy set of teeth.”

The British Dental Association (BDA), speaking to The Yorkshire Post earlier this year, warned only around half the population in England were able to access NHS dental care.

Schools in Barnsley are among those to already introduce 'toothbrushing clubs'. Ms Longfield stressed that access and affordability must be a priority.

Earlier research with the BBC, in 2022, suggested 98 per cent of NHS practices in Yorkshire had stopped taking on new adult patients, with 79 per cent refusing to accept new children.

The Prime Minister, speaking yesterday, did comment on children’s dental health and prevention.

Too many children are growing up with tooth decay, he said, stressing that improving this was "crucial" to the Government's commitment to raise the healthiest generation.

Labour was committed to introducing supervised tooth brushing for three to five-year-olds in the most deprived communities, he said, in moves aimed at tackling the immediate crisis.

In the longer term, there was a focus on rebuilding dentistry, with a shift to focus on prevention.

The party will also introduce tight restrictions on advertising junk food, he suggested, alongside banning the sale of energy drinks to children under 16.

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