Children’s teeth are in poor state, says dentist
Wednesday 16th March 2011, 1:00PM GMT.
Castel Primary was dentist Russell McDonald’s first port of call on his mission to improve the dental health of children in the island. With him to show the benefits of good teeth are: Sam Reed, 10, Anna Renouf, 11, and Niamh Duquemin, 11, right. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 1109387)
A DENTIST said he has seen more tooth decay in Guernsey teenagers in two months than during two years working in London.
Russell McDonald moved to the island only recently but has been so concerned about what he has encountered he is starting an oral health promotion scheme in primary schools.
‘The state of the teeth of young people and adults in Guernsey is far worse than I saw in London or Cambridge, where I was before,’ he said.
The Health and Social Services Department said the Children’s Dental Service carried out regular surveys which showed the dental health of the island’s youngsters was improving.
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With the withdrawal of the Children’s dentist what was going to happen, we’d all get better teeth for it?
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Mr G our children don’t have bad teeth because they haven’t got access to good dentistry. They’ve got bad teeth because they have parents who allow them to eat and drink sugary processed crap and because their parents fail to instill in them the need to look after their teeth properly.
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Our water (unlike the UK’s) does not have fluoride added. Whatever other risks/benefits fluoride has, it is proven to help protect teeth against decay.
Dentistry here is also very expensive, especially compared to France. English dentists are famously bad and Guernsey’s seem even worse, compared with those of England. I’m on my 3rd practice and still not happy despite only ever needing the odd filling.
Cost and poor work here puts me off going to the dentist for my Own teeth, so I’m ashamed to say my kids – 7 & 6 – have yet to visit any dentist at all.
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This was forecast when roffey did away with the school dentist, and parents couldn’t afford the lawyer type prices to even go for a check up, let alone treatment ,nothing to do with sweets or flouride, in fact between that time and present day ,the authorities panicked a bit when they realised the damage that had been done and offered children a free check up at primary school , thinly disguised as a generous offer to check on your childs teeth ,the results were no doubt as damming as Mr mc donalds findings and lo and behold no more was said.
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A damning indictment of a jurisdiction that is too focused on the wealthy. Greedy people with too much money around here. I bet they don’t mention this topic to people when they’re bragging how great Guernsey is. Same with mental health provision. It’s Victorian.
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Mrs Meat.
Topical application of fluoride, i.e. in toothpaste can have a beneficial effect on reducing tooth decay. But apparently not if it is ingested. In the USA there are big campaigns to stop the routine dosing of public water supplies with flouride.
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public servant – i do warm to your anger (but why are you not at work, publicly serving??.
anyway, who is this itinerant dentist? i am sure dental services could be better, but it looked to me like he was just touting for lucrative business?
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This does not surprise me at all, I knew this was going to happen, its not fair how some parents get all the help from the states when some parents go out to work and bring in a low income meaning that they probably just cannot afford to take their children to the dentists!!!
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