Who is responsible for taking care of children’s teeth?

I'm seriously in awe now.
No wonder you didn't have time to brush their teeth properly

Ha ha! But the first has the worst teeth!

If the parents are responsible then it should be down to them but there are some terrible parents in the world and then it should be up to the schools to step in.

maddyone

If parents ensure proper teeth cleaning and restrict the amount of sugar consumed, tooth decay is rare. I know this because this is what I did with my children. They were not allowed sweets except at Easter or Christmas and other rare occasions.
Whilst I think the provision of proper dental care is part of a civilised society, I do not think that the proper care of children’s teeth is the remit of government. It is solely the responsibility of parents.

The thing is you can have all the proper care of teeth in the world and still have dental problems. Yes. Proper dental hygiene and diet matter but they are just part of the bigger picture. Genetics , acidity ones saliva and a host of other health needs all play a big part. And without proper preventative care all the tooth brushing and diet in the world won’t be enough to prevent a lot of dental problems. Additionally a lack of care means that what could once be fixed with small minor fillings now end up extracted rotten teeth because care simply isn’t available until it’s reached that point. Of course children's health care is primarily a parents job but the nhs is doing a miserable job in ensuring those parents the helping hand they need to do so in regard to access to care

NotSpaghetti

Can I please just reiterate what some of us said earlier - some children just DO inherit poor teeth and some are blessed with fabulous ones.

Whilst diet and cleaning and regular dental appointments are obviously very important I have to say there's a lot of smugness on this thread. It is not all down to the way you parented (though clearly enhanced by this).

Children with the same diets and the same dental routine are often found to have very different teeth.

Just saying.

Thank you! We saw this among our own children. Who obviously had the same diet and were parented the same way in regard to dental care. Of our three sons , who are just four years apart in all , they are the same foods and we handled their tooth brushing and care and dental visits exactly alike. Two have never to my knowledge had a filling to this day. The third had more work before they became of age than their father has his entire life. They simply inherited my poor genetics when it came to dental things. Even our dentists said the same. Sometimes , all the proper care in the world doesn’t prevent it.

Agree dental hygiene is initially the role of parents as it is the role of parents to ensure their children have a healthy diet, wash themselves, don’t litter, don’t get involved in crime, attend school, tell them a bedtime story etc but for many reasons it doesn’t always happen. As prevention is better than cure, then education for both children and parents may be necessary. If children have poor teeth what does the OP suggest? It’s all very well criticising attempts to improve heath by saying it’s the job of parents, but it obvious from the stats that many children need dental treatment that is hard to access. Surely we should be making dental treatment more accessible, improving education, and supporting those that need support.

My children's teeth may have been filling-free, but that did not stop one of them needing extensive orthodontic treatment.

I have always looked after my teeth, but I still had a period extending from my late teens to mid 20s when I suffered extensive tooth decay, despite, meticulous care and a good diet and lifestyle.

vegansrock

Agree dental hygiene is initially the role of parents as it is the role of parents to ensure their children have a healthy diet, wash themselves, don’t litter, don’t get involved in crime, attend school, tell them a bedtime story etc but for many reasons it doesn’t always happen. As prevention is better than cure, then education for both children and parents may be necessary. If children have poor teeth what does the OP suggest? It’s all very well criticising attempts to improve heath by saying it’s the job of parents, but it obvious from the stats that many children need dental treatment that is hard to access. Surely we should be making dental treatment more accessible, improving education, and supporting those that need support.

If you’d read the whole thread you’d actually know what I suggested.
You shouldn’t criticise without reading the whole thread.
Read the whole thread!

M0nica

My children's teeth may have been filling-free, but that did not stop one of them needing extensive orthodontic treatment.

I have always looked after my teeth, but I still had a period extending from my late teens to mid 20s when I suffered extensive tooth decay, despite, meticulous care and a good diet and lifestyle.

You would also know that two of mine required orthodontic treatment if you’d read the whole thread. Orthodontic treatment has absolutely nothing to do with whether teeth have been properly looked after, although I doubt it could take place if several fillings were required, until those fillings were done.

Genetics also plays a part in the development of your teeth and bone structure, so some are more likely to get tooth decay than others, and also gum disease, which is unfortunate for those who take care of their teeth but develop issues nonetheless.

maddyone

vegansrock

Agree dental hygiene is initially the role of parents as it is the role of parents to ensure their children have a healthy diet, wash themselves, don’t litter, don’t get involved in crime, attend school, tell them a bedtime story etc but for many reasons it doesn’t always happen. As prevention is better than cure, then education for both children and parents may be necessary. If children have poor teeth what does the OP suggest? It’s all very well criticising attempts to improve heath by saying it’s the job of parents, but it obvious from the stats that many children need dental treatment that is hard to access. Surely we should be making dental treatment more accessible, improving education, and supporting those that need support.

If you’d read the whole thread you’d actually know what I suggested.
You shouldn’t criticise without reading the whole thread.
Read the whole thread!

That’s you told! There’s only 6 pages. Get cracking. Spit spot …

maddyone I have read all your comments and your clear assertions that parents are solely responsible, and you are the perfect example. Of such responsibility, but apart from saying dental services should be available you don’t say how parents who don’t take responsibility should be helped or supported.

I think we spend enough already helping feckless parents and clearing up the consequences.

Obviously, a mouth that requires ortho could also be a difficult mouth to keep properly clean.

maddyone Why are you being so stroppy with everyone and looking for offence and contradiction in every post, and not just on this thread. You never used to be like this. On the contrary, until very recently, I used to always see you as an example of calm reasonableness.

I expect this post will get deleted.

If the oral hygiene of children is left entirely in the hands of feckless parents then the million of pounds currently spent on hospital admissions for the extraction of teeth can only go on increasing. Proper provision of a children's dental service which focussed on education and dental hygiene could save huge amounts of money. It doesn't require more dentists. It requires a proper service that educates and encourages good practice.
The costs to the NHS of hospital admissions for tooth extractions in children aged 0 to 19 years have been estimated based on the latest NHS national cost collection data. The costs were £81.0 million for all tooth extractions and £50.9 million for caries-related tooth extractions in the financial year 2021 to 2022
By all means leave it to parents but it costs more in the long run.

We need NHS dentists available for all children to have regular checkups.

Once this is available we then have to ask who is ultimately responsible for children in the U.K.?

I think it should always be the parents, with caveats, children in care, children who are cared for by other family members due to unforeseen circumstances.

I do not want to live in a country where The State has overall responsibility for our children.

The State should provide a safety net not a permanent babysitting service.

Not uncommon for children to be cares for parents

GrannyGravy13

We need NHS dentists available for all children to have regular checkups.

Once this is available we then have to ask who is ultimately responsible for children in the U.K.?

I think it should always be the parents, with caveats, children in care, children who are cared for by other family members due to unforeseen circumstances.

I do not want to live in a country where The State has overall responsibility for our children.

The State should provide a safety net not a permanent babysitting service.

The problem with that approach is that neglecting their children’s teeth (and eyes) is not exclusively an issue which affects children from more deprived backgrounds. It’s much like the nit nurse and the eye testing of children at school, check all, send letters home for those with issues, recheck just those and see them in NHS clinic if that is the only way to treat them. Most parents will take responsibility for arranging dental and eye appointments themselves, so the NHS clinic is the backstop.

Parents are responsible for cleaning, healthy diet etc. But when all those conditions mentioned on here-genetics, feckless parents, teeth knocked out in sport, dental overcrowding etc. need attention, there should be provision available.
We have plenty of dental practices near us (15 mile radius) but I look at some of the children’s teeth when we’re doing looking after your body themes and handing out mini packs of toothpaste and brushes and wonder why there are so many problems.

vegansrock

maddyone I have read all your comments and your clear assertions that parents are solely responsible, and you are the perfect example. Of such responsibility, but apart from saying dental services should be available you don’t say how parents who don’t take responsibility should be helped or supported.

I did say how parents can be helped. I spoke of education, but you chose to be confrontational and forget that.
Also there’s no need to be so rude. I did not say I am the perfect example.
You took from the thread what you wanted to take, and misinterpreted what was actually said.

I have no experience of orthodontic work being done on the NHS, other than a brace being offered. Many years ago our dentist (private) extracted a few of my son’s teeth before fitting a brace. It was purely for aesthetic purposes and his teeth are perfect. I don’t think the NHS should do cosmetic work unless it’s essential health reasons.

So in addition to their other disadvantages in life you would condemn a child from a poorer background to live with wonky teeth for the rest of their life. Sometimes people’s views shock me.

Why are you ignoring the clear and precise information from the nhs, the mayo clinic, and other perfectly acceptable sources which clearly state that decay is caused by a variety of factors?

Has it been too long since someone has been able to put the boot in to "feckless parents"?

Stop ignoring the FACTS to fit your narrative.

Or shall we start asking why some children have this, or that, or such a problem, and blaming their parents?

FACT - other factors as well as bad hygiene cam result in decay.

My teeth were wonky. They have straightened themselves a bit over the years but aren’t perfect by any means. Has that affected my life? No.