NICE advises local authorities on dental prevention
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- Published: Wednesday, 22 October 2014 07:32
- Written by News Editor
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‘More children should brush their teeth to halt tooth decay and gum disease’ is the message given out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is urging local authorities to tackle a growing crisis in the state of people’s teeth in disadvantaged areas of England. But little mention is made of the importance of visiting the dentist.
In new guidance NICE has said that carers, parents and children in many areas need support to stop tooth decay and diseases linked to poor oral hygiene. They say that severe tooth decay has been reported in children as young as three and it can have a ‘lifelong effect on health as well as a person’s self-esteem, their ability to eat and socialise normally’.
NICE suggests local authorities consider supervised tooth-brushing and fluoride varnishing programmes in nurseries and primary schools in areas where children are at high risk of poor oral health. The Director of the Centre for Public Health at NICE, Professor Mike Kelly said: “Children, as young as 3, are being condemned to a life with rotten teeth, gum disease and poor health going into adulthood. Many children have poor diets and poor mouth hygiene because there is misunderstanding about the importance of looking after children’s early milk teeth and gums. They eat too much sugar and don’t clean their teeth with fluoride toothpaste. As a society we should help parents and carers give their children the best start in life and act now to stop the rot before it starts.”
“We know from Public Health England that there are wide regional differences in oral health. The situation is bleak for many adults as well as children in disadvantaged areas. Diet, poor oral hygiene, smoking, alcohol, and a lack of understanding about oral health are causing tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss and increasing the risk of mouth cancers. These are also the risk factors causing many chronic conditions, including heart disease and diabetes.”
The guideline aims to help local authorities to promote and protect oral health through: better training of staff and commissioning of personal care services including those provided to frail older people; policies and services that support better diets; activities to promote better oral hygiene and increase the availability of fluoride toothpaste; encouraging families and individuals to visit the dentist regularly, and increasing access to dental services for those who can’t.
The guideline recommends that all schools encourage good oral health – by working with parents and carers, and by ensuring that people have access to the right information about oral health and healthy food and drinking water.
Professor Elizabeth Kay, Foundation Dean for the Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth, said: “Around 25,000 young children every year are admitted to hospital to have teeth taken out. Given that we know how to prevent dental disease this really should not be happening. If there were a preventable medical condition which caused thousands of young children (mostly around 5 years old) to end up in hospital to have body parts removed there would be an outcry. These guidelines offer local authorities an opportunity and evidence as to how they can stop the most vulnerable children and adults in their areas from suffering from the pain, trauma and lifetime negative effects of tooth decay.”
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