Number of children aged 5 to 9 admitted to hospital due to tooth decay rises again
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- Published: Thursday, 27 September 2018 07:38
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The number of hospital admissions for tooth decay for children aged 5-9 has increased for the second consecutive year from 25,923 in 2016-2017 to 26,111 in 2017-2018, according to data published by NHS Digital last week. The figure was 26,708 in 2014-2015, dropping to 25,875 in 2015-2016. Tooth decay remains the number one reason that children aged 5-9 are admitted to hospital.
However, hospital admissions for tooth decay in other age groups have decreased. For 1-4 year olds, the number dropped from 8,281 in 2016-2017 to 7,666 in 2017-2018. Similarly, among 10-14 year olds, admissions fell from 7,303 in 2016-2017 to 7,060 in 2017-2018. In total, 44,047 children aged between 0 and 19 were admitted to hospital because of tooth decay in 2016-2017, with the youngest being two children aged less than a year old.
More than double the number of 5-9 year olds were admitted to hospital for tooth decay than acute tonsillitis in 2017-2018. 12,143 children were admitted to hospital for acute tonsillitis, 10,390 for a viral infection of unspecified site, 9,724 for asthma and 8,910 for abdominal and pelvic pain. Last month NHS Digital data showed almost one in three (31.5%) 5-9 year olds did not visit an NHS dentist in the 12 months leading up to 30 June 2018.
Responding to the figures on admissions to hospital for tooth decay, Professor Michael Escudier, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, said: “It is disappointing that we haven’t seen the same improvement in the number of children aged 5 to 9 being admitted to hospital for dental decay as we have for other age groups. These children will likely be having teeth removed in hospital under general anaesthetic – something that should never be taken lightly.”
Child hospitalisation for decay worsens again :(
A shameful and continual failure of central policy and planning - will we ever have the proper national media dental prevention campaign that the public and the vulnerable in society have been denied for years, and an nhs contract that is prevention biased instead of failed targets??This isn't just a national tragedy, it is a continual international disgrace !!!
Yours clearly,
Tony Kilcoyne.
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