Although recent Government campaigns have been surrounding children’s dental health in England, children’s oral health still remains worryingly poor throughout the country. While in recent years some progress has been made, new analysis proves that we are still falling short coming into 2026.
When Should I First Take My Child to the Dentist?
Both the NHS and the BSPD recommend that your child should be visiting the dentist by their first birthday, or as soon as their first tooth appears. But evidence shows that only around 3% of children are meeting that recommendation and attending a dental appointment before their first birthday and fewer than 12% are being seen by the age of two. That means for a lot of children they are missing out on early advice and care that could prevent problems further down the line.
Child Tooth Decay
Tooth decay remains is one of the most serious health issues for children in the UK. And what’s more alarming is nearly 27% of five-year-olds in England have tooth decay. In the financial year of 2024/2025, over 21,000 children aged 5 to 9 were admitted to hospital for tooth decay, making it the top reason for hospital stays in that age category. Read more on this issue here.
Whilst there are some encouraging signs of improvements compared with pre-pandemic levels, and an increased focus on early prevention from government collaborations such as Plan for Change. From our 25 years’ experience handling dental negligence claims, many children are still falling through the cracks. Of course, not every dental problem is caused by negligence, but what is concerning is when a child repeatedly attends with pain, swelling, or signs of decay and appropriate action isn’t taken swiftly or correctly.
Untreated Tooth Decay: Our Clients Story
Our client was just 16 years old when a dental problem turned into a more serious health complication. Last year, we helped her receive £26,000 from her former dental practice after untreated decay developed into a large abscess and nearly caused sepsis, which is a life-threatening infection. Even though she attended numerous visits to the dentist reporting severe pain and swelling, the underlying decay was not properly addressed, and eventually, she required emergency surgery under general anaesthetic to remove the affected tooth and treat the infection.
Her case was settled in an out of court settlement, and the dental practice did not admit liability. You can read about her story here.
What Are the Next Steps?
As a parent or carer, if you are concerned about dental treatment your child has received, it may be worth seeking advice from a specialist dental negligence law firm like the Dental Law Partnership, we can offer advice and guidance and point you in the right direction even if that isn’t us. You can of course contact us today for a free no obligation chat.
At the Dental Law Partnership, we will continue to help promote awareness of oral health in children and the important of early detection and action. We wanted to use this opportunity to further showcase our clients story as it is a reminder of how quickly dental neglect and untreated decay can escalate, and why early and carefully attention to children’s dental health and wellbeing is so important.