Report tells government to do more to prevent children's tooth decay in England

Action is needed to stop high levels of tooth decay in children in England, says a new report into children's health.

The Child of the North project and a think tank called the Centre for Young Lives worked together to write the report into children's oral health.

The report suggests that the government can reduce the amount of sugar kids drink by expanding the sugar tax to include sugary milk beverages and by banning the sale of energy drinks to under-16s.

The report arrives just as the government announced that junk food advertising with be banned on television before 9pm from October 2025.

Why are people talking about children's teeth?

Tooth decay happens when acid builds up on your teeth, which can be caused by eating and drinking sugary things as well as not brushing your teeth regularly.

These holes damage the teeth and can lead to infection, and if the infection is bad it might mean an infected tooth will need to be removed.

Taking a tooth out is known as tooth extraction.

Figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) showed there were 47,581 tooth extractions in NHS hospitals in England for patients aged 0 to 19 in 2023.

Two-thirds of these tooth extractions were because of tooth decay.

Top tips to keep your teeth in tip top shape.

What's being done to help children's teeth?

Paula Waterhouse, President of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, said action should be taken now to help young people.

So what is being done?

Former minister for public health, Andrea Leadsom, spoke to Newsround in March this year saying the Conservative government would provide money for 2.5 million dental appointments as well as free NHS check-ups to all kids who needed one.

But since then there has been a change in government, which means there could also be a change in plan on how to tackle tooth decay in young people.

Speaking at an event on Thursday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he "couldn't believe" the number of children going to hospital because of problems with their teeth, and that he was "shocked".