Health leaders are taking urgent action to tackle a dental crisis in children.
Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board is offering up to £20,000 of funding over the next six months for dentists to visit schools and teach children how to keep their teeth healthy.
It follows a damning report earlier this year which found Norfolk five-year-olds have the worst rate of tooth decay in the East of England – with the Lynn and West Norfolk area among the worst affected in the country.
Under the initiative, dentists will be able to work with schools to offer advice to young people on how to brush their teeth properly and offer other oral health advice.
West Norfolk councilor Alexandra Kemp, who has campaigned for dental improvements in the region, said: “This is great news as there is a huge need for this to be taught in schools.
“We need to understand this problem and children’s dental health needs to be a priority.”
The lack of NHS dentists in the county has been a long-standing problem, making it difficult for parents to take their children to health experts.
According to Ms Kemp, the cost of living crisis has led to more parents turning to food banks for toothpaste and toothbrushes for children in Lynn – one of the worst tooth decay areas in the county.
She said she has given £300 of her councilor allowance to Lynn’s social supermarket Purfleet Pantry to buy and distribute free children’s toothpaste and toothbrushes to parents.
A spokesman for NHS Norfolk and Waveney said: “Improving the oral health of children and young people is an important consideration with our recently published short-term dental plan and will be a key priority in the ICB’s long-term strategy to improve patient access to dentistry. services and improving oral health outcomes for our local population.”
It comes as councilors have called for action to tackle high rates of tooth decay in children.
Members of West Norfolk Council are calling for the authority to lobby the government to reform the way NHS dentist contracts are managed.
It is also hoped that it can put pressure on ministers to provide funding to improve the state of dental care in the region through the establishment of a dental training school.
Councilor Jo Rust, cabinet member for people and communities, will propose the motion at a full council meeting tomorrow.
“This council notes the appalling situation with NHS dentistry in Lynn and West Norfolk,” Ms Rust said.
“The number of dentists has fallen at a faster rate in West Norfolk compared to the whole of the east and England.
“However our area has greater levels of need, more areas of deprivation and a greater number of older residents.
“While the provision of dental services falls to the Integrated Care Board and is not something that our borough council can control, we can seek to influence and shape the provision of improved services and improved access to NHS dentists for the community our local.”
The survey by health chiefs in the region found that almost one in four five-year-olds had some form of decay in their teeth.
Cllr Kemp has campaigned for better dental care in West Norfolk and called for more intervention in schools.
She said: “Tooth decay is really serious and causes misery.
“Many families have told me they cannot register their children with an NHS dentist.
“Some cannot buy toothpaste and toothbrushes. We need to get basic prevention right and teaching dental care in schools is one way to improve dental outcomes for children in West Norfolk.
NHS Norfolk and Waveney has said that access to NHS dental services is one of its “immediate concerns” and that the body will continue to work closely with dental providers to find ways to stabilize and improve access to services.
A spokeswoman added: “ICB is committed to ensuring that all patients within Norfolk and Waveney have access to high quality dental services, but recognize that sustainable and long-term change will take time to achieve.”
