CHILDREN from poorer families are more likely to have their teeth pulled out, say scientists. Researchers said there are disparities in accessing dental care leading to tooth loss - but that it can be prevented. 1 Experts said Credit: Getty The team at Queen Mary University of London compared the GP and hospital records of 600,000 children between the age of five and 16.
All were living in North East London, but data analysis for England has shown similar trends. During the five-year study period, one in 200 children had at least one tooth removed under a general anaesthetic, in hospital. Most of those children had multiple teeth extracted.
Children living in areas with the most low-income households were three times more likely to require a dental extraction, compared with those living in areas with the lowest proportion of low-income households. When families have difficulty accessing timely preventive and treatment services, dental problems can progress until children need more serious and costly interventions Vanessa Muirhead Co-author and Reader and Honorary Consultant in Dental Public Health at Queen Mary Those who were white Irish were twice as likely than white children to need extractions. Those who were Bangladeshi and Pakistani were 1.
5 and 1.4 times more likely than white children, respectively. The study highlights that lack of access to NHS dentistry impacts children’s teeth.
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