More than a quarter of all P1 children have tooth decay, study finds

More than a quarter of children in primary one have obvious tooth decay, a study has found.

The National Dental Inspection Programme found that 26.7% of all P1 children have visible tooth decay.

Children from poorer backgrounds were far more likely to experience dental issues, researchers said.

While 86.3% of children living in the least deprived communities showed no sign of obvious tooth decay, that number dropped to 60.1% for those in the most deprived areas.

Fife was the worst affected region, with around 35% of children in primary one experiencing obvious tooth decay.

In Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 31.4% showed visible signs.

Across the whole of Scotland, 22.4% of children in their first year of school had untreated decay.

Scottish Labour urged the Government to end the “postcode penalty” in children’s dental health.

Jackie Baillie, the party’s deputy leader, said: “From cradle to grave, in the SNP’s Scotland, your life chances are affected by where you live.

“From an early age, Scots in the most deprived areas are more likely to suffer from tooth decay that will haunt them into adulthood.”

Ms Baillie also pointed to figures from Public Health Scotland which showed a gap between the mortality rate of the richest and poorest people in the UK.

Mortality rates due to unintentional injuries in adults were 96% higher in the most deprived areas but 50% lower in the least deprived areas when compared to the Scottish average, the figures showed.

Ms Baillie said: “Those unlucky enough to be hurt in an accident are more likely to die from their injuries due to the same postcode penalty.

“The SNP must end this macabre situation and break the link between poor health and poverty.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said ministers must “finally end the crisis in NHS dentistry”.

“The SNP are leaving NHS dentistry to rot when far too many children are suffering from tooth decay,” he said.

“In huge parts of the country, there isn’t a single NHS dentist currently open to new patients.

“Toothcare should be like any other form of medical treatment; it should be readily available and close to home.”

Public Health Secretary Jenni Minto said: “This report demonstrates that nearly three-quarters (73.2%) of P1 children examined this year showed no obvious decay. This is similar to 2020 (73.5%).

“The gap between the most and least deprived quintiles decreased. The average number of teeth affected by obvious decay experience continued to decline to 0.99 in 2024 – a significant improvement from 2.76 in 2003.

“On all recognised measures we have seen significant improvements in child oral health.”