ONE in three children in Bolton are not visiting a dentist every 12 months as recommended by health officials, new figures have revealed.

The number of children seem by an NHS dentist in Bolton in the 12 months up to March 31 was 46,360 – 71 per cent of the borough’s child population.

The figures, released by the Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) also suggest just 54 per cent (114,762) of Bolton’s adult population visited the dentist in the last year.

The longest time between appointments for children, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), is a year but is at dentists’ discretion.

Recent figures suggest that tooth decay in children in Bolton has dropped dramatically, but is still above the national average.

This is down in part to the hard work of Bolton’s oral health team and their brush bus scheme which teaches youngsters and their families about good brushing technique, the importance of healthy diet and the need to visit a dentist regularly.

Jean Holgate, manager of Bolton’s oral health team, said the HSCIC figures showed the need for the team to keep pushing forward.

She said: “We have done a really good job reducing tooth decay in children but Bolton’s figures are still some of the worst in England so we cannot be complacent – we still have a long way to go.

“We recommend parents begin taking their children to the dentist as soon as they cut their first teeth, at about six months old.

“If a child sees a dentist regularly it is much easier for problems to be picked up and dealt with at an early stage, rather than leaving it to the point where the child is in pain and needs emergency treatment.”

Nationally, the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist rose by 0.2 per cent in the first three months of this year compared to the previous quarter, and increased by 1.7 million people since the same period in 2006.

Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “One-third of five year olds suffer from tooth decay in England, with some being hospitalised as a result.

“Visits to the dentist are important for encouraging good oral health, providing rapid diagnosis and treatment to prevent a child from being hospitalised due to tooth decay.”