One in four Darlington five year olds have tooth decay

Lorraine Hughes said the data, which shows that one in four children aged five has decay, is “a concern”. 

One of the main reasons for hospital admissions among children in Darlington is poor oral health, with tooth extraction related to tooth decay being the most performed surgery.

Yet Ms Hughes told a council meeting that it is preventable and several schemes are in place to improve oral health. 

Last year, a toothbrushing scheme was introduced at primary schools and pre-schools throughout the borough, providing thousands of children with access to toothbrushes and toothpaste. 

The scheme was launched to increase access to oral care for local children, after tooth decay was identified as the main cause of hospital admission among children aged five to nine.

Some schools have now extended the offer to other year groups.

Ms Hughes said: “The supervised toothbrushing scheme is not a replacement for brushing at home, but an evidence-based programme to improve oral health in children and give them the skills and knowledge to carry out this task at home.”

Children living in the most deprived communities are about three-and-a-half times more likely to have teeth out due to decay than those in the most affluent areas. 

Dental decay is often cited as the first sign of poor healthcare, the council added. 

As part of the council’s annual public health report, health officials have pledged to embed the supervised toothbrushing programme across all early years providers. 

Ms Hughes said staff are also working towards increasing the number of children cleaning their teeth correctly twice daily through a range of communications and oral health interventions.

“Improving oral health locally across the life course is a priority for us; we will take this work forward with partners and services,” she added.

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