Childhood tooth decay hospitalisations rise in England, declared a public health emergency
Childhood tooth decay hospitalisations in England have surged, with experts warning that the crisis represents a “public health emergency.” According to newly released NHS England data, tooth decay remains the leading cause of hospital admissions among children aged 5 to 9 years.
The report shows that 21,162 children were admitted for tooth decay procedures in 2024/2025, a figure 65% higher than the next most common cause, acute tonsillitis (13,667 admissions). This marks a slight increase compared to the previous year, highlighting a persistent and growing challenge in children’s oral health.
Charlotte Eckhardt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), described the findings as alarming.
“Tooth decay is entirely preventable, yet thousands of children are hospitalised every year for procedures that could have been avoided with simple daily habits and better access to an NHS dentist,” she said. “Every child in hospital with tooth decay is proof that prevention has failed. We must act now to spare children needless pain, time off school, and avoidable surgery.”
Call for stronger prevention measures
Dr Eckhardt urged the government to take bold steps to tackle the issue, including:
- Overhauling the NHS dental contract to improve patient access and outcomes
- Sustaining and expanding supervised toothbrushing schemes to reach more children and support lasting oral hygiene habits
- Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy by lowering the sugar threshold from 5g to 4g per 100ml and extending the levy to milk-based drinks
Growing concern among dental experts
Paediatric dental surgeon Sondos Albadri, who has 15 years of experience working in areas of deprivation, warned that the severity of dental disease is worsening.
“Instead of declining, the number of children requiring dental extractions continues to rise, with waiting lists for general anaesthetic procedures growing longer each year,” Dr Albadri said. “Alarmingly, I now see children losing their permanent teeth at an early age due to extensive, preventable decay.”
According to RCS England, 43% of children did not see an NHS dentist in the past year, which, combined with the rising hospitalisation rates, paints what experts call “a deeply troubling picture of children’s oral health.”
Health professionals are calling for immediate and coordinated action between government, dental services, schools, and parents to curb this preventable crisis.
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