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UK Against Fluoridation

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Clydebank children's dental health branded 'poor'

Clydebank children's dental health branded 'poor'MORE children from Clydebank had teeth extracted because of dental decay in 2017 than the year before, an NHS report has revealed.
The overall number of primary school pupils who underwent the procedure last year totalled 106 – compared to 100 in 2016.
Figures also showed an increase in both primary 1 and primary 7 children considered “Category A”, meaning they should see the dentist as soon as possible on account of severe decay or abscess.
Primary 1s had increased from 89 in 2016 to 136 in 2017, while Primary 7s had risen from nine to 35 during the same period.
The report stated: “Overall, the oral health of children in West Dunbartonshire has not demonstrated sufficient improvement and generally compares poorly with the average for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and for Scotland.”
However, Frances McLinden, the general manager and lead officer for dental services at the board’s oral health directorate, assured it is working hard to address dental neglect in the area.
At a meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) audit committee last Wednesday, she spoke of how dental services are looking to “put the message of oral health out to the whole family” and emphasised the importance of changing behaviours at home.
In the directorate report for 2017, she acknowledged children’s oral health in West Dunbartonshire “remains poor and year-on-year improvements have not been at a level found elsewhere in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde”.
She also pinpointed low numbers of children below the age of two registered with an NHS dentist as a factor that “needs to be addressed”.
In West Dunbartonshire, the figure stands at just 39.4 per cent, which compares to 48.1 per cent across Scotland and 50.9 per cent for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
The directorate aims to improve the picture of oral health in West Dunbartonshire by delivering “a safe, person-centred, effective and efficient oral health service” in the area.
It will do so through a number of programmes run as a part of the health service’s national dental programme Childsmile.
These include educating children on the importance of tooth-brushing and offering fluoride varnish within schools and priority nurseries twice a year.
Allan MacLeod, the chair of the West Dunbartonshire HCSP audit committee, said the partnership was “anxious” to work with the directorate to improve the picture of oral health among young people.

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