EXCLUSIVE: The Daily Star Sunday found that some of the worst areas in the country for the health of kids’ teeth came from Yorkshire as NHS dentists continue to have long queues
Children in Yorkshire aged five to nine are suffering from the most rotten teeth in the country. The Daily Star Sunday can reveal towns and cities in Yorkshire made up six of the 10 worst areas for teeth extractions in the UK.
Figures show that Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster in South Yorkshire took three of the four top spots carrying out the most teeth extractions in hospital due to decaying gnashers. And Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield in West Yorkshire take fifth, sixth and seventh place with the health issue.
Kids in Sheffield had the worst teeth of any local authority in the country, with 995 extractions from 2023 to 2024. It had more than double the amount than Manchester, which took the second spot with 465 the same year.
In third place across the UK was Rotherham with a total of 415 extractions due to decay, whilst Doncaster came fourth with 390 extractions. South Yorkshire topped the list of places with the worst teeth in children in all age bands, including children up to four years and up to age 19.
A spokesperson for NHS South Yorkshire said: “There are uncertainties around the accuracy of this data. Nonetheless, children in South Yorkshire experience high levels of tooth decay, and hospital tooth extraction levels are also unacceptably high, with rates within the most deprived communities being over three times higher than in more affluent communities.
“Although South Yorkshire has the highest rates of hospital tooth extractions due to decay, NHS South Yorkshire had the highest percentage of child population seen by an NHS dentist in England for contract location at 67%. However, preventing tooth decay, particularly amongst children, continues to be a priority in South Yorkshire.”
Teeth extractions are performed in hospitals now as opposed to dentists as they are carried out under general anaesthetic. Experts at the British Dental Association said a combination of factors was leading to a rise in children requiring teeth extractions at an early age.
They said too many sugary foods and drinks in youngsters’ diets, junk food and poor oral hygiene were fuelling the problem. They also said socio economic factors played a role. Previous research has suggested children from more deprived areas (34 per cent) are more than twice as likely to have dental decay compared to those from less deprived areas (14 per cent).
Eddie Crouch, chair of the BDA, said: “It’s shocking that tooth decay, a preventable disease, remains the number one reason for child hospital admissions. Children in pain, struggling to eat, sleep, and having to time off school, for avoidable surgery are just not viewed as a priority.
“It means that dentistry is stuck at the back of the queue in the battle for time and space in our operating theatres.” Councils, which have responsibility for public health, said they had been trying to support children with positive brushing habits.
Earlier this year the Government announced it will roll out a supervised toothbrushing scheme in schools in the most deprived areas of the country to tackle inequalities in children’s oral health. An LGA Spokesperson said: “Supporting children, particularly in the most deprived areas, to develop positive brushing habits and prevent tooth decay is vital to improving overall health outcomes, reducing health inequalities and easing pressure on other areas of the health and care system.
“We know that right from a young age, good oral health can impact the speech, sleep, eating and overall health of a child. Councils up and down the country have been working hard with local early years providers and schools to improve the oral health of children.”
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