Extractions under GA up 83%
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- Published: Monday, 27 February 2023 17:23
- Written by Guy Tuggle
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Of all the statistics which regularly highlight the shocking failure of preventative oral health care in Britain, it’s the number of children and young people who are admitted to hospital each year for extractions under general anaesthetic. The figures eclipse all other childhood illnesses requiring hospital treatment.
Preventable in almost every case, young dentists working in hospitals report being ‘traumatised’ at the scale of the problem, often confronting a conveyor belt of children passing through the operating theatres for multiple dental extractions caused by caries.
Responding to statistics released by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities which reveal a staggering 83% increase in the number of 0-19 year olds being admitted to hospital, The Oral Health Foundation is calling for urgent action.
In total, there were 26,741 tooth extractions on 0-19 year-olds, due to tooth decay between 2021-2022.
According to the report, ‘there are large disparities between areas of the country, for example Yorkshire and the Humber rates are over five times that of the East Midlands.’
In a statement, the Oral Health Foundation says ‘the cost of hospital extractions under general anaesthetic in children 0-19, due to decayed teeth was almost £60 million. The OHF say this is NHS money that could be used in other areas, to improve dental access and reduce treatment waiting times.’
The charity believes more education and funding is needed, as well as improved awareness about tooth decay and how it can be prevented.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation said: “It is unfair and unjust for even one child to experience dental disease and pain, let alone thousands.
“Only 10% of the country has fluoride added to their water, so expanding water fluoridation schemes could help to reduce these disparities in all areas of the UK. Water fluoridation is one of the single most credible and impactful schemes that can have a significant impact on tooth decay.
“The data on children’s general anaesthetic, hospital extractions in non-fluoridated areas versus fluoridated areas is staggering – in fluoridated areas, hospital admissions fall by as much as 68%.”
The caries-related tooth extraction rate for children and young people living in the most deprived areas is nearly 3.5 times that of those living in the most affluent areas.
Inequalities in dental care provision have been well documented in various reports on GDPUK and elsewhere. Areas of deprivation are often characterised by a shortage of dentists and in many deprived areas NHS dentistry is nigh on impossible to access.
“These figures continue to suggest that the UK is turning into a postcode lottery when it comes to dental access,” adds Dr Carter. “These differences have been increasingly apparent as NHS dentistry is put under more stress.
“Less NHS dentists, rising populations and dental teams combined with an NHS dental contract that does not work, have certainly not helped the situation around the UK.”
The Oral Health Foundation says it is ‘concerned that too many people believe that having ‘baby’ teeth removed early does not have a long-term impact on the ‘adult’ or permanent teeth.’
Dr Carter adds: “If the baby teeth have to be removed early due to decay, this can cause problems with the adult teeth, in the future.
The baby teeth hold the space open for the permanent teeth to move into when they are ready. Without the baby teeth to keep these spaces, the adult teeth often come through in the wrong position. If this happens, the child will need to have orthodontic (braces) treatment, in the future.”
Ominously, Dr Carter concludes “Unless the proper steps are put in place to reduce the number of decay-related tooth extractions under general anaesthetic in hospitals, these numbers will continue to escalate and place further strain on an already over-stretched NHS.”
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