Kids should get a free toothbrush and toothpaste to fight rotting teeth, expert says

Over 25,000 children had their decayed teeth removed in hospital last year. From "DIY dentistry" to toddlers with rotting baby teeth, it is being warned that there is a crisis in dentistry at every level

Toddlers need a general anesthetic to have decayed teeth removed (

Image: Getty Images/Glow RM)

Every child should get a free toothbrush and toothpaste paid for by the taxpayer, an expert has demanded.

Aileen Murphie, who headed the public spending watchdog, called for the return of school dental services to deal with a growing crisis of children with rotten teeth.

Speaking at an Institute for Government event, she said: "There are 15,000 children under the age of seven who go to hospital to have their decayed baby teeth removed under general anesthesia which is a complete and utter waste of money out of everything else.

"One of the things I would do is a very important public health measure. Every child should be given a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste anytime they walk into public services and we should restore the school dental service."

Parents avoid the dentist because of expensive appointments

School dental services provided by local authorities were developed in the early 1900s, but were phased out towards the end of the century due to staffing problems.

Figures released today show that more than 25,000 children had decayed teeth removed in hospital last year.

Tooth decay is the most common reason for hospitalization in children aged 6 to 10.

Ms Murphie, former director of the National Audit Office, an independent body that analyzes public spending, said 'there is a huge waste of public money' when it comes to dental services.

She said: "I remember the school dental service in the 1960s in Scotland.

"This was a massive investment in public health that met a real need and offset extremely costly problems later."

Ms Murphie, who is also a specialist adviser to MPs on the Leveling Up, Housing & Communities committee, added that the removal of preventative and 'results-oriented' measures was 'at our peril'.< /p>

Children living in the most deprived communities are about 3.5 times more likely to have a tooth pulled out due to decay than those in the most affluent areas, with many parents avoiding the cost of a visit at the dentist.

Children are not the only ones affected by the country's dental crisis, with