Dental Health: Children

Tracy Brabin Shadow Minister (Education)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for inequalities in children's oral health across the UK.

Steve Brine The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
National dental surveys show that inequalities in children’s oral health are associated with deprivation, geography and ethnicity. For example, children in the north of England have higher levels of tooth decay than those in the south; and those from Chinese and Eastern European backgrounds have higher levels of tooth decay than other ethnic backgrounds.

Oral health inequalities are influenced by socio-economic factors, for example, differences in levels of income and employment experienced by different groups; and by behaviours such as, having a poor diet high in sugar and low access to fluoride.