Dentists blame bad baby teeth on “child neglect”

A sudden upsurge in the number of young kids being admitted to the hospitals in England over dental issues is being put down to parental neglect, according to a leading dental health charity.

NHS data reveals dental problem as the most common reason for the admittance of children in hospitals in England.

Figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre shows 25,812 babies – between the age of five and nine – being admitted to the hospital last year, a staggering rise from 22,574 admissions three years ago.

The British Dental Health Foundation along with some dentists blame bad baby teeth on “child neglect”.

Dr Nigel Carter, the chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, told the BBC: “They’re not giving the correct diet, they’re getting sugary drinks. There’s no attention to their oral hygiene regime and they’re failing to take their children along to the dentist when their first teeth come through, and waiting until a child is in pain with a mouthful of rotten teeth.”

Aerated and sugary drinks – already blamed for child obesity – are seen as the main culprits contributing to tooth decay. To guard children’s dental and oral health scientists have urged children to drink only water.

Today’s report comes a month after the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition called for reducing the sugar intake up to more than half the present amount.

Commenting on the rising tooth decay cases in children, University of Oxford professor Susan Jebb stated: “It comes back to simple advice to parents – encourage your children to drink water. Once they’ve been weaned, children should be drinking water, is absolutely the message. Milk is fine, but that should be the mainstay of our advice.”

Richa Priyanka