It’s well publicised that Leicester has the highest dental decay rate of children in England. So we at Smile Essential Dental Practice take part in various activities across Leicester to help educate others in the importance of dental care. Our most recent trip out in the community was to help educate the young children aged around 5 in good dental health. The photos above show Claire and Emilia visiting a local Braunstone Primary school.
This was Smile Essentials second visit to the school and the children seemed to really enjoy themselves, partaking in activities to increase their awareness on the importance of brushing and limiting sugary foods/drinks.
Five year old children living in Leicester have the highest experience of dental decay observed in England.
The 2012 results show an increase in the proportion of children with dental decay in
Leicester from 48.7% in 2008 to 53.2% in 2012, equating to a percentage point
increase of 4.5%.
• At age 5, children normally have 20 primary teeth. On average, 5 year old children in
Leicester had just under 4 teeth (3.88) that were decayed, missing or filled.
• The average number of decayed, missing or filled teeth in the whole sample taken in
Leicester (including the 46.8% who were decay free) was 2.06. This was more than
double the national rate of 0.94.
There is a strategy now in place in Leicester with the NHS and Leicester City Council. The aim of the strategy is to support coordinated activity across Leicester City to improve oral health, reduce oral health inequalities and lay solid foundations for good oral health throughout life.
Their objectives are:
• Optimising exposure to fluoride
• Gain multi-partnership support in order for everyone to play a role in improving oral health
• Improve preventive and routine dental attendance
• Improve parental skills on caring for children’s oral health
How you can help?
• Ensure that your child brushes 2x a day with a fluoride toothpaste
• Limit or eliminate the amount of sugary foods and drinks your child consumes
• Regularly attend for your dental care and treatment/prevention appointments
• Improve your child’s understanding of the importance of having healthy teeth and gums.
To find out about our preventative treatments available to all of our registered patients children click here