THIS attempt to combat tooth decay coincides with new figures that show that thousands of children in the North West are admitted to hospital because of the condition.
Figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that 14,445 children under the age of five had to go to hospital to have teeth removed between April 2014 and March 2015.
A total of 6,672 children were admitted in the North West alone - the second highest number in country apart from London.
Dentists across the UK are concerned about the figures which continue to show increasing numbers of toddlers hospitalised each year.
Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “An almost 10 per cent (9.81 per cent) increase in the number of children being admitted to hospital for tooth extraction due to decay over a four-year period is unacceptable.
“Not only is tooth decay distressing to children and parents, it has serious social and financial implications.
"The need for tooth extraction continues to be the number one reason why five to nine-year-old children are admitted to hospital.
“This issue urgently needs to be addressed, especially since 90 per cent of tooth decay is preventable."
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