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New data reveals 24.8% of five-year-olds in Ipswich had dental decay in the 2023-24 academic year. It comes as the British Dental Association warns the NHS dentistry service "has effectively ceased to exist for millions" across the country.
Why it matters: The figures highlight a significant public health concern for Ipswich children, despite the area having slightly better NHS dental service provision than other parts of England.
By the numbers:
24.8% of Ipswich five-year-olds had dental decay in 2023-24
26.9% of five-year-olds across England showed signs of decay
44 NHS dentists per 100,000 people serve Suffolk and North East Essex, down from 51 in 2019-20
The national average is 42 dentists per 100,000 people, down from 44 in 2019-20
The bigger picture: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities data shows a slight improvement in child dental health nationally, with England's average dropping from 29.3% in 2021-22 to 26.9% last year.
What they're saying: "This oral health gap was made in Westminster, with children paying the price for official failure to take dentistry seriously," said British Dental Association Chairman Eddie Crouch.
For context: The British Dental Association (BDA) said there has been "no progress" on Labour manifesto pledges to deliver prevention programmes in schools and tackle the "crisis" in NHS dentistry.
Despite Suffolk's marginally better figures, the BDA warns the NHS dentistry service "has effectively ceased to exist for millions" across the country, with Chairman Eddie Crouch noting: "Access to NHS dentistry has always been a postcode lottery, but the chances of your numbers coming up are now more remote than ever."
The bottom line: While Suffolk maintains slightly better access to NHS dentists than the deteriorating national average, a quarter of young children in Ipswich still suffer from preventable dental decay.
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