Scotland meets government targets for preventing childhood tooth decay

Around two-thirds of primary one children in Scotland have no obvious sign of tooth decay, according to new statistics from the Scottish government.

Figures from the National Dental Inspection Programme, show that all 14 of the nation's NHS boards have met the government target for 60 per cent of primary one students to be free of tooth decay for the first time.

It represents an improvement of three percent for the country as a whole since 2009/10 and is indicative of the extensive investments made into children's dentistry in recent years, as well as the efforts of the British Dental Association and other industry bodies.

More than 90,000 nursery school children currently take part in supervised tooth-brushing programmes, while toothpaste and brushes are distributed to kids during the first year of life at nursery and in the first year of primary school.

The government called on parents to ensure that children are taught the importance of good dental hygiene at an early age to maintain this momentum.

Minister for public health Michael Matheson said: "It is extremely important that we continue this work as we know that the best way to improve the nation's dental health is in childhood."