Leading dentists call for schools to become sugar free
Worrying figures also suggest a high number of children haven't seen a dentist since the start of the pandemic
Last updated 30th Apr 2021
There are urgent calls for schools to get rid of fizzy drinks and sugary sweets.
Due to dentists being closed during lockdown, kids haven’t been able to have their regular check-ups meaning they are more at risk of tooth decay.
Dr Jatinder Ubhi is a dentist at Dentology Healthcare in Grimsby and has been working on a project to engage children with dental health. He said:
“I am working on a project called the toothey family with the aim to make dental health be more fun to children so its something they can understand, enjoy and hopefully make a different to their health.
“Children can have dental decay and bad breath which can affect their psychological development, cause pain and infection and can also affect their concentration at school.”
Now the Faculty of Dental Surgeons (FDS) have said they would support supervised tooth brushing sessions in schools.
They claim before the Covid-19 pandemic, dental decay was the top reason for children aged between five and nine to be admitted to hospital in England.
Dr Ubhi said:
“One of the biggest reasons for children being put to sleep under the age of 5 is for dental extractions and this is completely unacceptable because it can be avoided.”
NHS dental attendance figures published in February show that 70% of children in England did not see an NHS dentist in the 12 months to 31 December 2020, the FDS said.
Dr Uhbi added:
“Sugar is one of the key causes of decay so if schools can incorporate important messages, then this would be a great start to help children with their oral health.”