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Published: Thursday, 16 February 2023 07:40

Written by Guy Tuggle

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A little known charity, Beauty Banks, recently joined forces with the British Dental Association to investigate the consequences of the cost of living crisis (‘COLC’)  on the ability of families to afford oral health products.  Specifically, the survey studied the impact of the COLC on school aged students and their teachers.

260 teachers took part in the survey which revealed that:

• 83% of secondary school teachers say they or their school has given students toothbrushes and toothpaste.
• 81% of secondary school teachers in the UK say there are children in their school who don’t have regular access to toothpaste.
• One in two children are known to isolate themselves because of oral hygiene issues
• 30% of teachers said children were experiencing dental pain and 50% - half – had noticed children suffering from halitosis.

The survey also sounded alarm bells about the oral health fears experienced by teachers themselves:

• 45% of teachers said their local NHS practice was not accepting new patients
• One in four teachers ‘get anxious’ about seeing a dentist on grounds of cost
• 22% said they struggle to afford hygiene basics including oral health products.

Beauty Banks may not enjoy widespread recognition in dental circles, although many who work in the profession will have encountered patients who might benefit from its help. Formed in 2018, it is a charity that ‘supports individuals and families in the UK who can’t afford to keep clean’. Yes, you read that correctly.

The charity supports other charities including food banks, domestic abuse centres and homeless shelters and claims that toothpaste is now the most requested item. Until recently, the charity claims toothpaste didn’t even make the top three.

The BDA seldom misses an opportunity to flag up the fact that ‘tooth decay in children has reached epidemic levels’ and accounts for more childhood hospital admissions than any other issue.  16,959 children aged five to nine were admitted to hospital for extractions or other dental procedures under GA last year.

Nick Ferrari’s flagship LBC breakfast programme on in early February trailblazed the survey’s findings and callers were predictably mixed in their reaction. First to pass comment was the former Chief Dental Officer Barry Cockcroft who stressed the importance of children adopting sound oral health habits from an early age and the lifetime long consequences of neglect.

“When I was CDO we introduced a scheme called ‘Brushing for Life’ where we distributed free toothpaste and brushes to primary care trusts in areas of deprivation and need.

When a Cost Of Living Crisis happens, it’s always those with least resources who suffer most” said Cockcroft.

Mr Cockcroft continued “ we had contracts with big toothpaste and brush manufacturers and we, as part of the NHS, distributed free toothpaste and brushes to children in deprived areas and there is a good argument for doing that again now.”

Renowned for his willingness to make controversial statements, Nick Ferrari said “If you can’t afford a toothbrush, or toothpaste, for your children, you really ought be asking yourself if you should have children.”

Ferrari went on to argue that ‘nothing’ is more important that children’s health and, citing child benefit payments made to parents, implied there were no excuses other than neglect for children not possessing basic oral health products. Toothbrushes could be bought ‘two for 25p at Asda’ he added.

BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said “This shocking survey underlines that deep health inequalities are set to widen. Yet while our children face an epidemic of decay, the government seems asleep at the wheel.”

NHS statistics show that 44.8% of children attended a dental appointment in the year 2020-21 compared to 58.7% in 2019-20 with the pandemic responsible for the drop.

Image Credit Alisdare Hickson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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