Guernsey dentists see rise in children with tooth decay

Tooth decay and tooth extractions increased by 11% between 2017 and 2022

The number of children with tooth decay in Guernsey has risen since 2017, new figures have revealed.

The States of Guernsey said the number of children admitted to the Children's Dental Service had increased.

Referrals to the service rose from 513 to 985 between 2017 and 2022 and admissions due to tooth decay and tooth extractions increased by 11%.

Dr Natasha Flavell, Chair of Guernsey Dental Association, said earlier action was needed to prevent tooth decay.

Dr Natasha Flavell, Chair of Guernsey Dental Association, said earlier action was needed to prevent tooth decay

"I think the States are doing all they can with the free check-up," she said but she added that parents needed to bring their children to a dentist "before they've got decay".

In 2022, the States introduced a free annual check-up for anyone under the age of 18 and supervised tooth brushing in nurseries and pre-schools.

The States said 86 children aged 12 or younger were given general anaesthetic by the service with 293 teeth being extracted, 45 fillings given and 114 crowns fitted.

The Guernsey Dental Association said it was concerned by the rise but did not have a clear explanation as to why this increase had taken place.

Dr Ushita Shah, owner of Bridge Dental Clinic, said children were consuming too much hidden sugar.

She said: "Unfortunately there's a massive increase in sugar intake in children so a lot of foods that are heavily marketed towards children are very high in sugar, from breakfast cereals and yoghurts to fruit drinks.

"If we pick it up early we can do preventative treatment or treat the decay very early which is very straightforward.

"Once the decay starts progressing it becomes more painful."

National statistics indicated that tooth decay was the most common reason for hospital admissions for children in England aged between six and 10.

There were 42,180 tooth extractions in NHS hospitals last year, 63% of those due to decay - costing £81m.

Ms Flavell said adults should act as role models to show children "that it's really important about cleaning our teeth and eating properly and eating healthily".

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