Leading dentists sound alarm over regional disparities in 5-year-olds' dental health
11 Feb 2025
- West Midlands, East of England and South East have high levels of 5-year-olds experiencing decay but have seen improvements since the last figures.
- The North West and London have the highest levels of dental decay with 28.7% and 27.4% respectively.
- East of England and South East hold the lowest figures for decay with 17.5% and 19.4% respectively.
New survey data published today by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) reveals an overall drop in tooth decay among 5-year-olds in England. The 2023-2024 figures show that 22.4% of children in this age group experienced tooth decay, a decrease from 23.7% recorded in 2021-2022.
While this progress is encouraging, tooth decay remains a leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 5-9 years. In 2022-23, 47,581 children required tooth extractions in NHS hospitals3, with 66% (31,165 cases) directly attributed to decay – equivalent to 120 hospital operations every working day3,4.
A closer examination of regional data highlights some variations. North West (28.7%), Yorkshire and The Humber (27.5%) and London (27.4%) remain highly affected areas. Some areas have seen improvements, such as a 1.9% decrease in the North West and West Midlands, other regions continue to struggle.
The Faculty of Dental Surgery warns the high number of hospital admissions due to tooth decay places unnecessary strain on NHS resources and exposes young children to the risks associated with general anaesthesia.
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said:
“We’ve seen a slight improvement overall in number of 5-year-olds with tooth decay, but it is still too high. The fact that more than one in five children still suffer from an entirely preventable condition is concerning. Supervised toothbrushing programmes (STPs), which the government has said it will implement, offer a glimmer of hope, but their roll-out is uneven across the country.
“STPs have proven to reduce dental decay within a single year after children have been enrolled5. Paying for themselves within just three years5.
"Areas like London demonstrate how fragile improvement can be without sustained intervention. We need a consistent, targeted approach in hard-hit areas, with the government taking swift action to improve NHS dental access for all children6.”
ENDS
Note to editors
1. Found in the ‘COUNTRY_and_REGION’ tab of the OHID data. Percentage of children with one or more obvious untreated dentinally decayed teeth (Percentage d3t > 0):
| 2007-08 | 2011-12 | 2014-15 | 2016-17 | 2018-20 | 2021-22 | 2023-24 | |
| England | 30.9% | 27.9% | 24.7% | 23.3% | n/a | 23.7% | 22.4% |
| North East | 39.8% | 29.7% | 28.0% | 23.9% | n/a | 22.2% | 22.6% |
| North West | 38.1% | 34.8% | 33.4% | 33.9% | n/a | 30.6% | 28.7% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 38.7% | 33.6% | 28.5% | 30.4% | n/a | 27.0% | 27.5% |
| East Midlands | 30.8% | 29.8% | 27.5% | 25.1% | n/a | 22.3% | 21.5% |
| West Midlands | 28.9% | 26.0% | 23.4% | 25.7% | n/a | 23.8% | 21.9% |
| East of England | 24.8% | 23.0% | 20.2% | 23.4% | n/a | 19.3% | 17.5% |
| London | 32.7% | 32.9% | 27.2% | 20.2% | n/a | 25.8% | 27.4% |
| South East | 26.2% | 21.2% | 20.0% | 27.2% | n/a | 21.2% | 19.4% |
| South West | 30.6% | 26.1% | 21.5% | 20.0% | n/a | 19.9% | 19.7% |
2. The full results of the oral health survey of 5-year-old children 2024 published by Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/oral-health-survey-of-5-year-old-schoolchildren-2024
3. NHS figures reveal 47,581 child tooth extractions in NHS hospitals during 2022/2023 financial year: https://bdnj.co.uk/2024/02/08/new-nhs-figures-reveal-47581-child-tooth-extractions-in-nhs-hospitals-during-2022-2023-financial-year/
4. 30,000 rotten teeth removed from children in hospitals, NHS data reveal: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41406-024-1371-1
5. A national survey of supervised toothbrushing programmes in England: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-023-6182-1
6. Supervised toothbrushing programmes in England: a national survey of current provision and factors influencing their implementation: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-024-7782-0
7. The Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England is committed to enabling dentists and specialists to provide patients with the highest possible standards of practice and care.
8. For more information, please contact the RCS England press office: telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.