Number of hospital tooth extractions in Swindon children up by over two thirds
134 children a day in the UK had their teeth removed at hospital last year
Almost 500 children and young people under the age of 19 had to get tooth extractions at Great Western Hospital last year.
The figure has gone up by over 70%, from 353 patients in 2023 to 487 in 2024.
It comes as the British Dental Association criticised the government’s plans of rolling out 700,000 extra dental appointments earlier this week.
Ian Mills, South West spokesperson for the BDA, said: “The vast majority of dental disease is preventable, whether that is decay or gum disease. And for years we’ve been saying that we need to focus on prevention.
“Particularly with young children, we need to stop them from going through the trauma of having a general anaesthetic and having their teeth removed”.
Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s statement reads: “We are working with local partners to encourage better oral health in children and young people, including supporting public health colleagues at community sessions with families from more deprived backgrounds, to offer support and guidance to those who might not be registered with a dentist”.
According to the BDA’s latest figures, the extra appointments will cover only one third of the country’s current need for urgent dental treatment.
They estimate that there is a total of 2.2 million people each year who struggle to get an NHS dentist appointment.
This equates to 3.5% of the total population.
Shiv Pabary, chair of the BDA's General Dental Practice Committee, said: "So, it seems a new Government discovered the need for urgent care, but chose just to cover a third of it. This is austerity on stilts.
"Rather than eliminating DIY dentistry, the Treasury is ensuring we keep seeing horrors that belong in the Victorian era.
"Ministers have a moral responsibility to ensure no patient is ever left in this position".
Across Swindon and Wiltshire, a total of around 14,000 extra appointments are set to be rolled out from April onwards.
But according to Ian Mills, the issues around dental health care are not this easily tackled.
“Particularly in the South West, we have a real workforce problem. So, it’s not just the lack of funding or the NHS contract. It’s also the challenge of recruiting and retaining a workforce in the South West and within the NHS”.
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