The City of York’s director of public health said poor dental health among residents of the city poses a long-term health threat that can be life-threatening.
Research has found that the worst affected children in Yorkshire will have up to four decayed, removed or restored teeth by the age of five, Peter Rodrick said after his speech.
In a briefing to City of York councillors, he said some primary school-age children in York were missing school because of pain caused by dental problems.
Mr Rodrick said: “We know that oral health throughout life is more than just an inconvenience, in some cases it can be life-threatening and cause a degree of pain or distress.”
He said long-term health risks associated with poor dental health include heart disease and stroke.
He added that oral hygiene habits were being developed at an “extremely early stage”, but research showed that a quarter of children only brushed their teeth once a day.
He said: “We don’t have a good population with good oral health, especially children and young people, and that needs special attention.”
The meeting heard about oral health campaigns and targeted supervised toothbrushing activities to try to intervene at an early age.
“We’ve found that just giving people a toothbrush and toothpaste and then leaving it alone doesn’t work,” added Rodrick.
“It’s the support that comes with it that makes a difference.”
The focus of the supervised toothbrushing sessions is on “early years settings”, which were chosen using data showing that there are more children from disadvantaged backgrounds there.
Debbie Ledbetter, from the Humber and North Yorkshire Healthcare Partnership, told MPs that three practices in York have signed up to the government’s Golden Hello recruitment incentive scheme, which aims to incentivise dentists to take on new NHS patients.
One dentist in the city has joined the Fellowship Scheme and will be mentored by an experienced NHS dentist.
“We really always focus on the most vulnerable,” said Ms Ledbetter.
“We have referral pathways for children in care and we have good links with charities that support women living in refuge or fleeing domestic violence.”
Related topics:
