Tooth decay ‘remains leading reason for child hospitalisation in Wales’

Tooth decay remains a significant problem for children in Wales, despite the recent progress made through the Designed to Smile scheme.

This is according to a new study from Cwm Taf University, which showed that tooth decay is still the number one reason children attend hospitals in Wales, with five-year-olds in Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taf experiencing the highest rates of dental decay in the country.

Responding to these findings, the British Dental Association (BDA) said they show the limitations of the Designed to Smile programme, which has achieved major inroads into tackling oral disease across Wales.

In particular, the BDA believes the four million pounds used to fund the scheme is being spread too thin, with a recent switch to refocus the policy on early-years prevention leaving primary school children unsupported.

As such, it has called for the scheme to be made compulsory in areas of high deprivation and extended to preschool infants, as well as recommending that the current NHS contract system – which sets quotas on patient numbers – be abandoned.

David Johnson, chair of the BDA's Welsh Committee for Community Dentists, said: "The Welsh government now needs to go that extra mile on prevention, provide sustainable investment in child oral health and let go of the government targets that have failed patients."

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