Manx children's oral health worse than UK - report

More children on the Isle of Man have issues with their teeth than their counterparts in the UK, a report has found.

The Children's Oral Health Report was put together by the island's Public Health Directorate.

It analysed oral health data from Reception and Year 1 children, along with a separate survey of five-year-olds.

It found that 26.6% of children aged five had experienced decayed, missing, or filled teeth, which was about 3% more than the 23.7% recorded for those in the UK.

The island also had "a significantly higher level of incisor decay than other areas of England", the report said.

It follows the first 12 months of the Smile of Mann programme, which is part of Public Health's Oral Health Strategy for children 2021-2026.

A government spokeswoman said the scheme included supervised tooth brushing in early education settings, which had been expanded "to include primary schools and specialist provision centres".

She said: "Plans are now in place to further enhance the programme by offering fluoride varnish applications for all primary school children."

The programme was based on the successful Childsmile scheme in Scotland that saw a 62% reduction in fillings.

The spokeswoman said: "This could prevent approximately 130 children going on to develop tooth decay every year, reducing the burden on families and health services."

It would also reduce the number of children needing a general anaesthetic for removing teeth, she added.

The report said oral health in Manx youngsters did "not appear to be improving", and further work was "absolutely necessary to prevent worsening oral health for children".

Public Health's Ross Keat said: "The recent expansion of the Smile of Mann programme is a key step forward, and we are actively exploring additional ways to improve oral health.

"An expanded preventative programme will lower the need for children to have treatment with a dentist."

Dental issues brought with them "associated loss of confidence, infection, disrupted sleeping and eating, and absences at school", he added.

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