One in six children in Hertfordshire have visible tooth decay by the age of five – and in some parts of the county, the figure rises to almost one in four.
On Wednesday (June 4), a meeting of Hertfordshire County Council’s Public Health and Community Safety Cabinet Panel will be presented with the latest data as part of an overview of the county’s oral health programme.
According to the data, almost 17 per cent of five-year-olds across Hertfordshire have visible tooth decay.
The report states that between 2021/22 and 2023/24, there were 280 hospital admissions of children aged five or under for the treatment of tooth decay – also known as dental caries or cavities.
The data also highlights a significant variation across the county, “with poorer outcomes seen in the most deprived areas of Hertfordshire”.
In Broxbourne, 24.6 per cent of five-year-olds – equivalent to around one in four – were found to have visible tooth decay. In Welwyn Hatfield, the figure was 17.4 per cent, and in Watford, it was 16.6 per cent.
Elsewhere in the county, the proportions are much lower. In North Herts, just 7.2 per cent – around one in every 14 five-year-olds – had visible tooth decay. In East Herts, the rate was 9.2 per cent.
According to the report, tooth decay is “preventable”. It adds that poor oral health can indicate a poor diet, “dental neglect”, and in some cases, may be a sign of “wider safeguarding concerns”.
In response, the report outlines several services commissioned by the council’s public health team to support better oral health outcomes.
These include:
- The Healthy Mouths programme, which provides oral health packs to under-fives in areas with the poorest oral health;
- Pop-up clinics staffed by a dentist and dental nurse, offering screenings, free toothbrushes and toothpaste, and fluoride varnish applications;
- A targeted primary school screening pilot, where Reception-aged children are offered oral checks and fluoride varnish applications;
- School support and training to deliver supervised tooth-brushing programmes.
The report also draws attention to the link between poor oral health and childhood obesity, suggesting that many of the “risk factors” are the same.
“In Hertfordshire just under one in five 4-5 year-olds are classified as overweight or obese and this increases to just under one in three by the age of 10-11 years,” says the report.
“Similar to rates of dental caries, there are clear geographical inequalities in Hertfordshire.
“Rates of overweight and obesity in 10-11-year-olds is highest in Broxbourne (35.3%), Stevenage (34%) and Watford (32.9%), but lower in St Albans (24%).”
It continues: “Many of the risk factors for child obesity are also risk factors for poor oral health, including a poor nutritional quality diet that is high in sugars, access and affordability of healthy food choices, exposure to environments that promote/advertise unhealthy food and have a high saturation of unhealthy food premises.”
The report will be presented to councillors at the Public Health and Community Safety Cabinet Panel meeting on Wednesday (June 4).
Deborah is a Local Democracy Reporter covering news across Hertfordshire, with a strong focus on councils, local government and public policy. Her reporting includes county council decisions, council tax, spending pressures, legal and regulatory issues, healthcare stories including junior doctors, and community projects affecting local residents.
