More than a quarter of five-year-olds in Birmingham have tooth decay.

It comes as dentists issued a statement today campaigning for sugar-free schools.

The Faculty of Dental Surgeons said doing so was an “essential” part of improving children’s oral health, and that it was “incredibly worrying” that levels of tooth decay in children remain so high.

The latest figures from Public Health England reveal 26.7% of five-year-olds in our city examined by dentists in 2016/17 were found to have at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth.

That was up from the national average of 23.3%.

Dental issues
Dental issues

In most cases, tooth decay is caused by having too much sugar, and not brushing teeth or cleaning gums properly.

Professor Michael Escudier, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: "It is incredibly worrying that levels of tooth decay among children in England remain so high - especially when you consider that it is almost entirely preventable through simple steps, such as brushing twice a day with appropriate-strength fluoride toothpaste, visiting the dentist regularly and reducing sugar consumption.

“The FDS believes that limiting the availability of surgery foods and drinks in schools is essential to reducing the amount of sugar our children consume.

“While the Government has committed to reviewing school food standards, we would like to see them go beyond this to encourage all schools in England to become sugar free.

“We would also support the publication of nutritional guidelines for packed lunches.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “By law, schools must provide pupils with a nutritious school meal and restrict foods high in sugar from being served as part of school lunch options.

“This includes a ban on drinks with added sugar, chocolate or sweets in school meals and vending machines.

“Additionally we are in the process of updating these standards to further reduce the sugar content of school meals.”