NEARLY a third of five-year-olds in Bournemouth have tooth decay, according to new figures released by Public Health England.

Nationally the number of youngsters suffering from decay has dropped to a quarter - its lowest level in almost a decade.

But while there has been some improvement nationally, there appears to be a great deal of regional variation.

In Dorset alone the figures vary from 21 per cent in Poole to 28 per cent in Bournemouth with those living within the Dorset local authority area hitting the national average of 25 per cent.

Dr Sandra White, director of dental public health at Public Health England, said having healthy teeth was important for children, both for their health and their confidence.

“However, one child with tooth decay is one too many and there is still much inequality in dental health around the country,” she added.

“Tooth decay is painful and too often results in teeth extraction, some under general anaesthetic.

“Limiting sugary food and drink, supporting children to brush their teeth twice a day and regular trips to the dentist, will help prevent a great many more children suffering at the hands of tooth decay.”

According to Tina McGowan, a dental therapist at Ocean Dental Care in Bournemouth, there are a number of ways to help make brushing fun for youngsters.

“As well as sand timers for the bathroom sink there are also new smart phone apps designed to make brushing more entertaining,” added Ms McGowan.

“Colgate has an app that plays music for the two minutes and when the time is up you get points for doing a good job.

“Children also need to be supervised while brushing their teeth up until the age of seven.

However the big message Ms McGowan is sharing with her patients is to “spit and not rinse”.

“Children should be encouraged to spit and not rinse after brushing so that the effects of fluoride toothpaste are not diluted,” she said.

“If we can leave fluoride in our mouths for up to half an hour then it has more time to work effectively getting rid of tooth decay.”