Children's Oral Health

Thank you for contacting me about children’s oral health.

Dentistry is an integral part of the clinical services provided by the NHS. I believe it is important that the Government continues to support the most vulnerable and those on low incomes to access dental treatment.

NHS England has a legal duty to commission NHS dental services to meet the needs of the local population. It is encouraging that overall access to NHS dentists continues to increase with 1.8 million more patients seen in the 24 months to March 2016 compared to May 2010.

The Government is committed to replacing the current NHS contract with one that better rewards dentists for improving the oral health of their patients in addition to providing treatment where needed. From 2011-16, dental pilots tested a new way of delivering care, focussed on prevention. The pilots are set to be evaluated and if successful, the new system could start to be rolled out nationally from 2018-19.

NHS England is also planning to test new ways to improve children's oral health in high need areas by innovative commissioning, focussed on encouraging the take up of services that are available. Tooth decay affects roughly one in four children in England; this is an entirely preventable disease, and the Government is taking action to tackle it.

You may be pleased to know that at the end of 2016, the Government announced the Soft Drinks Industry levy, due to come into force in 2018, which is designed to encourage soft drink manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar in their products, as well as raising tax revenue to be spent on promoting healthier lifestyles. Whilst this measure was primarily introduced to tackle childhood obesity, it will significantly help children's oral health, as sugary drinks are children's single biggest source of sugar. The British Dental Association welcomes the future imposition of the so-called 'sugar tax', and believes that it will reduce tooth decay by around 270,000 cases per year. On top of this, the Childhood Obesity Strategy includes an ambitious programme to promote healthy lifestyles, and work towards a 20 per cent reduction in the sugar in the sugar in food and drinks popular with children over the next ten years, and a 5 per cent reduction in one year.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.