Rates Of Decay Among Under 5’s Fall in East Lancashire

New figures have revealed that rates of tooth decay among under 5’s have fallen in six boroughs in East Lancashire.

According to statistics from Public Health England, the number of children requiring hospital treatment for dental issues has also decreased.

Improvements are particularly welcomed in Blackburn with Darwen, which was once the worst borough in England in terms of oral health standards. Since 2007/2008, the proportion of under 5’s suffering from decay has fallen by 10 per cent to 41.1 per cent. Although there is still a long way to go, this marks a significant improvement. The number of children requiring extraction in hospital has also decreased from 466 to 438 in the 12 month period leading up to April 2013 in the borough.

Despite the improvements in oral health, experts have stressed that more needs to be done to further reduce rates of decay, as tooth decay is preventable and children have access to free dental care on the NHS.

MP for Blackburn, Jack Straw, has also reiterated his stance on the introduction of fluoridated water, suggesting that he is firmly against mass fluoridation in the UK.

Fluoridated water is viewed by many dentists and public health figures as an effective means of reducing tooth decay. There are success stories in the UK, including Birmingham, where rates of decay have fallen considerably since the introduction of fluoridated water; however, many people are against adding fluoride to the water supplies and any plans to add fluoride to local supplies are likely to be greeted with a mixture of emotions.