Fall in children’s tooth extractions labelled a ‘smokescreen’ by oral health charity

11 MAY 2022
The Oral Health Foundation warns that thousands of children have been left to suffer in pain for more than one year, as the number of tooth extractions for young people in England falls by more than half during the pandemic.
The number of extractions performed on decayed teeth in children aged 19 and under decreased from 35,190 in 2019-20 to 14,615 in 2020-21, data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities shows.
However, the oral health charity says the fall in the number of procedures, which take place in hospital under general anaesthetic, do not reflect any change in demand.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation says: “To report that childhood tooth extractions in England have shrunk is a smokescreen towards the reality of what is happening. Tooth decay in children has not simply disappeared over the last year which means that thousands of young people are going without the treatment they need.
“I…