Amount of children not seeing dentist in Derbyshire is 'national disgrace'

More than 60,000 children in Derbyshire have not seen an NHS dentist in the last year, according to newly released figures.
General view of dentist at work.General view of dentist at work.
General view of dentist at work.

The British Dental Association said the rate of check ups for children is “national disgrace” and put it down to a lack of information to engage hard-to-reach families.

NHS data shows that 45% of children in Derbyshire have not had a dental check-up in the 12 months to September 2018 , compared with the 41% average across England.

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It means 68,918 children in the area have not been for their check-up over the period, despite NHS guidelines saying they should be seen at least once a year.

The remaining 55% did see a dentist during the period.

NHS dental care for children is free, but a poll conducted by the BDA last year revealed that one in four parents are unaware that there is no charge for routine check-ups for children.

The BDA’s chair of general dental practice, Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen, said that current outreach programmes were more likely to target people who already visit their dentist.

He said: “The fact nearly five million children are missing out on free dental care is nothing short of a national disgrace, but is the logical result of policies from successive governments.

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“In Scotland and Wales dedicated national programmes are reaching out in nurseries and primary schools, yet in England the authorities have offered a few posters to pop up in dental practices.

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“Tooth decay is a preventable disease and remains the leading cause of hospital admissions for children, but instead of public information campaigns Westminster has offered radio silence.”

Over the 12 months to June, 4,600 children received some kind of urgent dental treatment in Derbyshire.

According to dentists, these are mainly tooth extractions or fillings.

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Among adults, 298,700 people in Derbyshire saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months prior to October 2018.

That is 47% of the population, compared with 51% across England.

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A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We want every single child and adult to have access to NHS care, whatever their background or location – and last year a record 6.9 million children were seen by a dentist with numbers rising every year.”