Dozens of High Peak children had rotting teeth removed last year

Data from the Government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows a significant increase in hospitals removing under-19 year olds' decaying teeth across England following the coronavirus pandemic.

But total extractions remain below pre-pandemic levels, and the British Dental Association said the data "understates the level of demand, given huge backlogs and only partial recovery of elective services".

The OHID figures show around 30 children aged 19 or younger in High Peak had at least one tooth removed in hospital due to decay in the 12 months to March 2022 – up from around 15 the year before but down from 50 in 2019-20, before the pandemic.

It meant around 160 in every 100,000 children underwent a tooth extraction for decay last year. A total of 55 extractions were undertaken in the area.

Nationally, 42,200 tooth extractions were conducted on children in hospitals last year – up from 22,500 the year before but still below pre-pandemic levels. Of them, 26,700 were due to tooth decay, an 83% rise on 2020-21.

Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospital admission in children aged six to 10, while the data also showed children living in the most deprived communities are around 3.5 times more likely to have teeth out due to decay than those in the most affluent areas.

The BDA said it was "deeply concerned that ongoing and severe access problems, together with disruption to public health programmes and lockdown diets", will widen inequalities.

It said the Government is "failing to deliver on much-needed reform and investment", highlighting issues in the recruitment and retention of dentists.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Good oral health is incredibly important and the number of children seen by NHS dentists increased by 44% in the last year.

"Likewise in hospitals, we have seen an increase in hospital operations for tooth extraction for those aged 0-19 as oral healthcare services continue to recover from the pandemic.

"The number of dentists increased by over 500 last year and the government is investing more than £3 billion in NHS dentistry including so people can access services when they need them."