CHILDREN in Bolton have some of the worst teeth in the country.

A total of 41 per cent of all five year olds in Bolton start school with tooth decay, well above the national average for England (25 per cent).

Bolton is one of four areas in Greater Manchester that have been identified by the NHS as being a national priority.

Dympna Edwards a consultant in dental health with Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said: “In 2017 four in 10 five-year-old children in Bolton have experienced tooth decay by the time that they are five years old.

"Although there have been some improvements over the past 9 years this has been slow. Dental decay can often be higher in some areas, particularly those affected by deprivation, and children that have some tooth decay in early childhood usually go on to develop more severe tooth decay in later childhood and as an adult.”

Claire Stevens, paediatric dentistry consultant revealed: "[Tooth decay] can cause pain, sleepless nights and missed days of school for many children."

Having a tooth removed is now the most common reason for young children in Greater Manchester to be admitted to hospital. As well as causing pain, sleepless nights and days of missed school and work for children and their families, each extraction costs the NHS around £1,000. This adds up to a total bill of £20 million every year for treating preventable tooth decay in children across Greater Manchester.

Children in Bolton are some of the thousands of under fives in Greater Manchester who are to benefit from a new £1.5m programme aimed at transforming their dental health.

In Bolton the funding will provide daily supervised brushing for children aged two to five in all schools/nurseries.

Staff will also receive training to support children as dental champions and parents will be able to get toothbrush and toothpaste packs from their health visitor.

Parents will also be encouraged to take their child for a dental check up before they turn one. Dentists will also be stepping up to encourage good oral hygiene and health as part of the national Baby Teeth DO Matter programme.

It is hoped that through the range of activities will provide better information about looking after children's teeth will be brought to 90 per cent of the under fives in Bolton.

Each activity aims to tackle the widespread impacts of high sugar diets and ensuring regular tooth brushing is installed at an early age.

Jean Holgate, oral health improvement manager with Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Supervised tooth brushing has been part of the daily routine in Bolton in around 100 local nurseries and schools for several years but it has been a limited approach so far.

“Being able to now develop and offer the scheme to benefit all children 2-5 years living in Bolton is important if we are to reduce the number of children experiencing tooth decay at such a young age."