A new report has shown that primary one pupils in Fife have the worst dental health in Scotland.
The recently published 2024 National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) report found that P1 children in the Kingdom have the highest mean number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth.
P1s in Fife also have the highest percentage of untreated decay, and the lowest number of children with no obvious decay.
The NDIP report found that 26.7% of all P1 children in Scotland have visible tooth decay, compared with 35% of P1s in Fife.
The findings come soon after the Press reported that only one dentist in West Fife is taking on patients under 16.
Figures showed in April this year that there was 232 dentists claiming funding from NHS Fife across the Kingdom compared to 257 in 2019/20.
Councillor James Calder said: “The fact that over a third of P1 pupils are suffering from tooth decay is absolutely unacceptable and is a damning indictment over the decline of NHS dentistry under the SNP.
“With access to NHS dentistry being a challenge for many in Fife, the Liberal Democrat group have been pressing for renewed focus in improving dentistry.
“This means looking into the funding on offer for NHS dentists to encourage more to take on NHS patients.
“Without this, we will continue to see decay in dental health which will harm our children and young people.
Children from more deprived backgrounds were found to be more likely to experience dental issues than peers in more affluent areas.
60.1% of those in the most deprived areas showed no sign of obvious signs of tooth decay, compared with 86.3% of children living in the least deprived communities.
An NHS Fife spokesperson said: “NHS Fife and Fife Health and Social Care Partnership are committed to reducing inequalities in oral health for children across Fife.
“We do this through work to improve access to NHS dental services as well as ongoing education on good oral health and prevention.
“Despite the well documented challenges with access to NHS dentistry across Scotland, figures show 71.6% of children in Fife aged three to five years old are registered with a dentist.
“We continue to work together across organisations to promote good oral health for children, parents or carers through the national Childsmile programme.
“This includes daily supervised toothbrushing within nurseries across Fife as well as supporting access to dental care.”
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