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UK Against Fluoridation

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Leicester one of the worst places in country for kids with tooth decay, but things are improving

Last year councillor Abdul Osman watched teeth cleaning lessons at Wyvern Primary SchoolThe number of Leicester children with unhealthy teeth remains among the worst in the country, but things are improving rapidly.

New figures from Public Health England show that in 2011 more than half of five-year-old children in the city had signs of tooth decay, making it the fifth worst of all local authority areas in England.

But by 2016, just over a third of children had experience of tooth decay, making Leicester the ninth worst area in England.

That means the number of five-year-olds with tooth decay fell by more than 28 per cent in just five years.

In recent years, improving dental health has been a priority for Leicester City Council’s public health team, which has worked to reduce children’s tooth decay through its Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles programme, which encourages parents to take an active role in protecting their children’s oral health.
Deputy city mayor Adam Clarke, who leads on public health, said: “Tooth decay is largely preventable and can be a serious health issue. It causes pain and discomfort for children that can easily be avoided.

"We launched our Healthy Teeth, Happy Smiles initiative in 2014 with the aim of reducing tooth decay in under-fives by 10 per cent, by 2019.

“These new figures show that we have well exceeded this target, which is excellent news.


“We have made a long-term commitment to tackling levels of tooth decay because we know this is what is required. There are still major challenges ahead, but these figures show we are moving in the right direction.”

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