Regional differences found in new report on tooth decay amongst year 6 children in England

November 2024

Regional difference have been identified in a new report on tooth decay amongst Year 6 children in England.  A  survey has found that 23% of Year 6 children in the most deprived areas of England are far more likely to experience dental decay in their permanent teeth compared to those in the least deprived areas (10%)

Coordinated by the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID), and undertaken during the 2022/23 school year, the survey explored the incidence of dental decay among 10-and-11-year-olds within upper-tier (County) and lower-tier (District) councils in England.

Overall, while 16.2% of year 6 schoolchildren surveyed had experienced dental decay there were significant differences at regional and county levels, in the north and south of England and among different ethnic groups. The survey revealed that Year 6 children in Northern England had a higher prevalence of dental decay compared to their peers in other regions.

Wolverhampton County Council had the highest incidence of dental decay (43.7%) while Bath and Northeast Somerset County Councils recorded just over 3%.  At a regional level, Year 6 children living in the West Midlands (43%) and Yorkshire and  Humber  (23%), were more likely to experience dental decay, than those living in the least deprived areas like the Southwest (12%).

There was also a marked difference between certain ethnic groups. Year 6 children from the white British ethnic group were significantly less likely  to experience dental decay compared to children from the Pakistani community (15.3 cf. 21.6%); or their peers from the Chinese community(12.8%)

The last two English Indices of Deprivation reports of 2015  and 2019 ( due to be revised in late 2025), found that 90% of the most deprived areas in England were in the north of the country and that the link between deprivation and poor health outcomes cannot be underestimated.

According to the King’s Fund (a public health think tank):

Poverty contributes to greater prevalence of poor health, and thereby greater need for NHS services. And poverty contributes to difficulties in accessing these services at the early stages of illness. Dental care is a good illustration of this. The challenges of eating healthily while living in poverty contributes to a higher incidence of tooth decay among people in more deprived areas.