OVER one in three five-year-olds in South Lakeland showed signs of dental decay in 2022 – a report has revealed.

A report prepared for the health and wellbeing board states in 2022 the dental epidemiology programme found 37 per cent of five-year-olds in South Lakeland had decayed, missing or filled primary teeth.

According to the report, 30.2 per cent of five-year-olds in the same study in Furness showed signs of dental decay while this figure was 20 per cent for five-year-olds in Eden. The average percentage in England was 23.7 per cent.

The report says: “The reasons for the significant increase in the proportion of five-year-olds with evidence of dental decay in South Lakeland between 2018/19 and 2021/22 is not fully understood.

“The 5-year-old survey is undertaken every other year and the next set of survey data should help us to understand if the 2021/22 result is an outlier or a sustained change in prevalence of dental decay.”

Another survey in 2024 showed 16.4 per cent of year six children showed signs of dental decay in Westmorland and Furness, compared to an average of 18.3 per cent in the North West.

According to the report, the council commissions an all-age oral health improvement service alongside Cumberland Council, which is provided by North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust.

Amongst interventions include a supervised brushing initiative with 30 schemes taking place in early years settings.

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria has also launched its dental access and oral health improvement programme to improve access to primary care dental services in the high street and to improve oral health, the report states.

It adds: “The programme looks to prioritise the areas of Lancashire and South Cumbria with the greatest need for dental access and oral health support. It also aims to reduce inequalities in dental access and oral health across the region.

“The programme focuses on where investment should be prioritised, improving patient pathways, communications to the public and to staff, supporting retention and recruitment of the dental workforce and contract management.”

Within Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, the initial area of prioritisation is the child access 0-5 pathway and care homes, according to the report.

Members of the health and wellbeing board will discuss the report when they meet on Monday April 22 at Penrith Town Hall.