By Tess Rushin

Almost 19 per cent of five-year-olds in North West Leicestershire have tooth decay according to figures released by the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities.

The figures show the percentage of five-year-olds estimated to have decay to the enamel and/or dentin – the layer that lies immediately underneath the enamel of the tooth – in 2024.

The result for Leicester was 42.4 per cent, putting the city in 18th position in a study of 229 authorities. The rate has gone up in recent years, with 37.8 per cent of five-year-olds in the city found to have tooth rot in 2021/22.

The next highest area in Leicestershire was Oadby and Wigston, with 29.8 per cent. That figure was 21.8 for Melton, 19.1 per cent for Hinckley and Bosworth, 18.9 per cent in North West Leicestershire and 18.7 per cent in Blaby.

In December last year, when 59 per cent of NHS dentists in Leicestershire were not accepting children aged 17 or under, the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to the NHS about the state of the county's teeth.

At the time, a spokesperson for NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB), which provides healthcare services across the counties, said work was under way nationally to "transform" the NHS dental contract "with the aim of ensuring patients most in need can access NHS dentistry".

Across the country, the highest was Manchester with 60.8 per cent of five-year-olds having decay, followed by South Hams at 49.6 per cent and Pendle with 49.0 per cent. Rochford, at the bottom of the list, had a rate of 4.9 per cent.

The ICB spokesperson told the LDRS in December that work underway nationally to "transform" dental care would include measures such as using "targeted funding" to encourage the profession to work in areas which had a shortage of dentists.

They added: "Following the first reforms to the dental contract announced in July 2022, a joint NHS and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) plan to recover and reform NHS dentistry has been published. This plan is an important next step in improving patient access to NHS dental care and supporting dental services to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity."

The spokesperson said the plan "announces a range of government-delivered public health initiatives to improve the oral health of children" and added that the ICB worked "closely with local organisations such as Healthwatch in order to capture patient feedback helping to inform the future planning and commissioning of dental services across LLR [Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland]."

Responding to the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' figures, Councillor David Fothergill, chairman of national body the Local Government Association's community wellbeing board, said: "Tooth decay is largely preventable, yet it remains the most common oral disease affecting children and young people across England.

"Untreated dental issues continue to be one of the leading causes of hospital admissions for children and teenagers, with over 31,000 operations [nationally] in 2023 alone to remove rotten teeth — equating to 119 operations per working day.

"Alarmingly, these figures highlight stark inequalities in oral health. Children living in the most deprived areas are more than twice as likely to experience dental decay compared to those in the least deprived areas. This persistent inequality must be addressed.

"We must take urgent action to reduce tooth decay in children, particularly in the most disadvantaged communities. The Government should use the upcoming Spending Review to invest in council-run oral health improvement programmes. These programmes are proven to help children develop healthy oral hygiene habits from a young age and prevent more serious, costly issues later in life."