Labour vows to ‘put a smile back on kids’ faces’ with child dentistry plans
Sir Keir Starmer will outline the part’s Child Health Action Plan during a visit to the North East on Tuesday.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Labour Party will vow to create an extra 100,000 urgent dental appointments for children in a bid to clear backlogs in England.
The party’s Child Health Action Plan will also propose the introduction of supervised brushing to bolster the dental health of youngsters.
The additional appointments will be delivered on evenings and weekends, according to the proposals, which will be announced by Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to the North East of England on Tuesday.
A Labour government would also double the number of NHS scanners by investing in new, artificial intelligence-enabled equipment, the party said, as well as reforming the dental contract and bringing in signing on bonuses to recruit dentists to areas in need.
The proposals will cost £109 million a year, Labour said, and will be funded by clamping down on tax dodgers and tightening up the rules on non-domiciled people.
The party claims there will be five million fewer dentistry appointments over the next five years if the Conservatives win the General Election.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting added: “What a tragic indictment on the state of NHS dentistry under the Conservatives, that children are ashamed to speak because of the state of their teeth.
“Labour will provide an extra 100,000 appointments for children a year and supervised toothbrushing for three-to-five year olds, to put a smile back on kids’ faces.”
Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said: “Supervised toothbrushing can help us shift the dial from drilling and filling to actively preventing dental disease.
“There’s nothing ‘nanny state’ about a tried-and-tested policy that can save children pain and our NHS a fortune.”
It comes after data published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) in February revealed thousands of children were admitted to hospital with tooth decay last year.
There were 47,581 tooth extractions in NHS hospitals in England for patients aged 0 to 19, with some 66% – or 31,165 – down to a primary diagnosis of tooth decay, up 17% from the previous 12 months.
Tooth decay remains the most common reason for youngsters aged five to nine being admitted to hospital.
Hospital admissions for childhood tooth extractions cost NHS hospitals £64.3 million last year, with decay-related extractions costing £40.7 million.
As well as children’s dentistry, Labour will also aim to provide extra hospital appointments, scans and operations for youngsters.
The Conservative Party has been approached for comment.