British Dental Association in Northern Ireland calls for action on children’s oral health

The British Dental Association in Northern Ireland (BDA NI) has highlighted that action needs to be taken to improve children's oral health across the country.

Research conducted by the organisation has found that the need to remove teeth in more than 5,000 children is costing the health service over 9.3 million GBP each year, the Belfast Telegraph reports.

During a single 12-month period, BDA NI found that 5,122 under-18s had a total of 22,699 teeth extracted under general anaesthetic. While the majority of these were deciduous teeth, some 2,729 were in fact adult teeth, suggesting a lack of understanding of the importance of oral hygiene.

What's more, data shows that tooth extractions are the number one reason for hospital admissions among children in Northern Ireland.

Grainne Quinn, chair of the BDA NI salaried dentists committee, commented: "The fact that children, this young, are undergoing surgery for a condition which is largely preventable is shocking and underlines the need for urgent action."

She called for "long-standing investment in a dedicated regional prevention programme" to help tackle the issue.

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