Something to smile about - as tooth decay level falls in North East Lincolnshire

It's National Smile Month and people across North East Lincolnshire and beyond are being urged to do more to care for their teeth and general oral hygiene, as chief reporter Sarah Carey found out.

DO you do enough to look after you and your family's oral health?

As part of National Smile Month we're all being encouraged to do all we can to keep our teeth in tip top condition.

National Smile Month is hosted by the British Dental Health Foundation and one of the key messages in the campaign is the importance of getting children into good habits at a young age.

In recent years, there have been many improvements in the field of dental health, leading to a drop in the number of children under the age of five suffering from tooth decay in our region.

According to the latest figures released by Public Health England (PHE), following a survey of five year olds across Britain, in 2011/12 31 per cent of five-year-olds in North East Lincolnshire suffered tooth decay, compared to 37.4 per cent in the previous study, conducted in 2007/8.

The picture for the wider Yorkshire and Humber region, which encompasses North East Lincolnshire, was worse, with 34 per cent suffering decay. The national average is 28 per cent.

Michael Stanfield, clinical lead for community dental services at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust (NLAG), who is also a specialist in special care dentistry for the Trust, said: "'The 2011/2012 five-year-olds survey shows that there has been a reduction in the proportion of children affected by dental decay.

"However, decay levels are still unacceptably high in some areas.

"Dental professionals, the NHS and local authorities need to work together to reduce dental decay in our local communities.

"The message for parents is to ensure that their children cut back on sugary snacks and drinks in between meals and brush their teeth with a fluoride toothpaste twice a day.".....................