Some British kids have never seen a TOOTHBRUSH, dentist claims trends now
Some kids in parts of England have 'never' seen a toothbrush, a dentist has shockingly claimed.
Dentist Stuart McCance, who visits schools in Norfolk and Waveney to promote good oral hygiene, said that for some six-year-olds he is the first dentist they have ever seen.
'In some instances, we're finding it's the first time kids have seen a dentist - and they're five or six years of age - when we should be seeing children from six months when their first tooth comes in,' he told the BBC.
'Some, more worryingly, have never seen a toothbrush.'
His statement is the latest damming indictment of the state of NHS dentistry, as patients and parents find themselves unable to secure an appointment.
A dentist who visits schools in Norfolk and Waveney said some children have never seen a toothbrush in the latest damming indictment of the nation's oral health (stock image)
Dentist Stuart McCance added that some children had 'never' even seen a toothbrush
The East of England, where Mr McCance performs his visits, is one of worst areas hit by the national dental crisis.
Less than half (45.3 per cent) of children have seen a dentist there within the past year, according to the latest NHS data.
And no dental practice in Norfolk and Waveney area is reported to be accepting children as new NHS patients.
This leaves their parents no option but to either pay expensive fees to see a dentist privately or omit going entirely.
Mr McCance visits schools as [part of the Happy Smiles Club, and initiative run by John G Plummer dentists in Norwich.
Five schools have been involved since March last year with the club seeing dentists and dental nurses visit pupils to educate them on oral health, and also give check-ups if needed.
They said at one, unnamed, school they found half just over half of the 169 children they saw (88) needed urgent dental treatment.
Meanwhile, they also found 82 of the kids were not registered with any dentist.
Dental nurse Chloe Blake, who also volunteers with the Happy Smiles Club, said at the surgery where she worked, they were constantly being asked if they could accept new patients.
'We did go through a stage when we were taking on patients - just children - but we just got inundated,' she said.
The latest figures from the LG inform — a database ran by the Local Government Association (LGA), recorded that nationally, there is only one NHS dental practice for every 4,975 people at the start of 2023.
North Norfolk actually outperforms the national average, with one NHS dental practice per 4,695 people.
But in South Norfolk and East Suffolk, the are where Waveney is located, the ratio rises to one NHS dental practice for 6,803 and 7,246 people respectively.
Some areas of the country are even worse, with only one NHS dental practice per 13,000 people.
And national NHS data found the East of England was the second lowest performer for children being seen by an NHS dentist in the last 12 months, only beating London which only had 40.6 per cent of kids see a dentist in
