Child dental health in London is poor.
Over a quarter (26%) of 5-year-olds in London suffer from tooth decay, which is higher than the national average of 23%. Bad dental health is unfairly spread around London too; a child in Bexley has much better teeth than one in Brent.[1]
Poor dental health also has knock-on effects on children’s development and mental health. It can impact a child’s ability to sleep, eat, speak, play and socialise with other children.
There’s a financial cost too. Tooth extractions in hospital cost £836 to treat. In 2016-17, nearly 11,000 children under the age of 15 had tooth extractions in hospital. That’s a cost of more than £9 million.
Tomorrow, the London Assembly Health Committee will discuss how to improve the dental health of children in London.
The guests are:
The meeting will take place on Thursday, 14 March at 2.00pm in The Chamber, City Hall (The Queen’s Walk, London SE1).
Media and members of the public are invited to attend.
The meeting can also be viewed LIVE via webcast or YouTube
Follow us @LondonAssembly and take part in the meeting discussion using #AssemblyHealth and #ChildDentalHealth
Notes to editors
- [1] A borough breakdown of bad dental health is available
- Full agenda papers
- Dr Onkar Sahota AM, Chair of the Health Committee is available for interview. See contact details below.
- London Assembly Health Committee
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.