New figures released by National Health Service (NHS) England shows that rotten teeth extractions in young children have soared by 10 percent in the past four years. Experts attributed the steady climb to sugar-laden diets.
According to the Daily Mail, the official statistics of NHS England showed that almost 33,800 children aged 10 and below had one or more teeth extracted at English hospitals last year. The figures also revealed that 14,400 of these children were under the age of five.
Records of the Health and Social Care Information Center indicated that child tooth extractions have been steadily rising in the past years. As of 2015, it has already surged by 10 percent in just four years.
"An almost 10 percent increase in the number of children being admitted to hospital for tooth extraction due to decay over a four-year period is unacceptable," said Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons. "This issue urgently needs to be addressed, especially since 90 percent of tooth decay is preventable."
Sara Hurley, chief dental officer at NHS England, agreed to Hunt, saying that the recent statistics is disappointing. "It's really disappointing that even though people understand the impact of a sugary diet so many children have advanced tooth decay - a highly preventable disease."
"In England, children and young people drink more sugary soft drinks than anywhere else in Europe and we are also creating a legacy of obesity and significant health problems," Hurley stated. "If we are to get serious about tackling this then prevention is the key."
Moreover, Dr. Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, told The Telegraph that such figures are intolerable. "It is truly inexcusable in the modern day to see such staggering amount of children visiting hospital to have teeth extracted due to tooth decay, especially as it is entirely preventable," he explained.
Carter pointed out that the culture of "constant snacking on sugary foods and drinks" triggered the rise of tooth decay problems. He added that most children are not properly advised to brush their teeth.
