Randerson praises Minister for delivering Welsh Liberal Democrat dental plan

11.06.00am GMT Fri 14th Mar 2008

The Welsh Lib Dems want Wales to have a better dental health system

Commenting on the Assembly Government's Designed to Smile initiative, Welsh Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Jenny Randerson said:

"I published a Dentistry Action Plan in December 2005, which recommended a new emphasis on prevention, giving free toothbrushes and toothpaste to young children and an education programme in our schools. Teaching people how to brush is a long term investment which can save a lot of expense and problems in the future.

"Its good to see that in the end, listening to good ideas is unavoidable.

"It is one of the scandals of modern Wales that 53% of children surveyed have suffered from tooth decay, missing teeth or fillings by their fifth birthdays. This compares to 38% in England. I hope this initiative will be effective in closing the gap, and that the minister will look at more good ideas that the Welsh Liberal Democrats have put forward to improve dental health. There's plenty more where these came from.

"But I am concerned that the delay in addressing this issue means that it could be too late for many kids. How many teeth have fallen out needlessly because of the Government's delay?"

Notes:

Jenny Randerson's Dental Action plan was published in December 2005.

Two of the short term action points were:

"2. Employ salaried dentists specifically for check ups and to focus on dental health and prevention at primary schools, playgroups and nurseries, building on Community Dental Service in Community First Areas.

"Research proves that getting children in to the habit of cleaning their teeth early will improve the long term health of an individual. Many of the improvements in oral health over the last 30 years have been made through the increased uptake in Fluoride based toothpaste."

"4. Give every child a toothbrush and toothpaste, and build oral healthcare in to early-years education.

"The simple act of initialising owning a toothbrush , coupled with action point 2, has seen great success in reducing the amount of dental treatment required later in life. Only by investing for the long term now can the pay-off be assured."

Any other parties wishing to deliver Welsh Liberal Democrat ideas should contact the relevant spokespeople.

Stats on child tooth decay taken from British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry report published last year.