The rotten generation: NHS hospitals perform 56,000 tooth extractions on children in one year
The decline of children’s dental health has been exposed in ‘horrific statistics’ that show a surge in hospital tooth extractions.
NHS hospitals performed 56,143 extractions on children and teenagers in the financial year ending 2025 – up 14 per cent on the previous year’s total of 49,112.
This equates to a tooth extraction every nine minutes. Some 33,976 of these were due to a primary diagnosis of tooth decay, marking an increase of 11 per cent.
NHS data experts suggested the rising figures since 2021 may reflect NHS work recovering after the pandemic, but the British Dental Association (BDA) said more needs to be done to improve access to care.
The number of extractions because of tooth decay made up 60.5 per cent of all tooth extractions for those aged up to 19. This rose to 80 per cent for children up to four years old and 86.5 per cent for those aged five to nine.
Tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admissions in children aged five to nine.
Children and young people living in the most deprived communities were more than three times more likely to have a tooth extracted due to decay than those in more affluent areas, data also showed.
The decline of children’s dental health has been exposed in ‘horrific statistics’ that show a surge in hospital tooth extractions (stock image)
NHS hospitals performed 56,143 extractions on children and teenagers in the financial year ending 2025 – up 14 per cent on the previous year’s total of 49,112 (stock image)
BDA chairman Eddie Crouch said the ‘horrific statistics are a badge of dishonour for governments past and present’, and that tooth decay being the main reason for child hospital admissions ‘can’t go unchallenged’.
While there are ‘targeted preventive programmes’, Mr Crouch said ‘there’s still little sign the Government is willing to rebuild access to care’.
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) said NHS data likely shows continued recovery of general anaesthetic services after the pandemic and does not include community dental care.
Dr Oosh Devalia, BSPD president, said the society ‘urges policymakers to keep a steady focus on the priorities’ in children’s oral health including ‘supervised toothbrushing, water fluoridation and early access to dental teams’.
She added that there was a need to cut ‘sugar consumption’ for under-16s and ‘push for every child to have a ‘dental home’ [a consistent surgery or dentist to visit], with access to a dental check by their first birthday’.
The Royal College of Surgeons of England said the figures equate to one young person needing extraction because of tooth decay every 15 minutes.
Dr Charlotte Eckhardt, from the college, said: ‘Tooth decay is causing unnecessary pain, missed school days and avoidable hospital admissions at a higher rate in 2025 than the year before.’
She added: ‘If the Government is to meet its goal of transforming the NHS dental system by 2035, it must ensure every child can see a dentist when they need to. A postcode must never dictate a child’s health.’
