Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have found that children living in areas with high levels of deprivation are three times more likely to have severe tooth decay that requires a dental extraction in hospital, compared with children living in more affluent areas. The findings highlight an urgent need for equitable access to preventive dentistry. In the study, published today (16 July 2024) in BMJ Public Health , researchers analyzed de-identified GP and hospital records for 600,000 children between the ages of five and 16 living in North East London.
During the five-year study period, one in 200 children had at least one tooth removed under a general anesthetic, which must be done in a hospital setting. Most of those children had multiple teeth extracted. The study findings demonstrate major socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in severe tooth decay in children, which is preventable through access to NHS dentists, and policies such as toothbrushing in schools and control of sugar in food and drinks.
The researchers also examined the data by North East London borough, comparing rates of children's dental extractions with access to NHS general dental practitioners. After adjusting for deprivation and ethnic group, the highest risk of hospital dental extraction was for children in Tower Hamlets, which also has the lowest general dental practitioner attendance in North East London. Conversely, children living in Redbridge, Havering, and Barking & Dagenham had the low.
