Hygiene Poverty – Another Barrier to Oral Health
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- Published: Wednesday, 04 September 2024 09:14
- Written by Peter Ingle
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The statistics are familiar. The ones about children being hospitalised for general anaesthetic dental extractions. The millions unable to see a dentist in the last two years. The numbers of desperate people carrying out DIY dentistry. But even fixing the access crisis, a challenge that has defeated a succession of ministers and overwhelmed successive initiatives and recovery plans, will not be enough.
A recent report has shown as an example, that one in four children across Oxfordshire have been in hygiene poverty in the past year. Hygiene poverty means not being able to afford many of the basic hygiene and personal grooming products many take for granted. Data from charity The Hygiene Bank shows over 4.2 million people in the UK facing this, with the combination of the cost of living crisis and inflation adding an extra million since 2022.
The charity has found a direct link between hygiene poverty and children’s oral health with nearly a third (29%) of parents reporting changes or a reduction in the quality of dental care products for their children due to financial constraints in the last year. One in four (23%) say their children’s oral hygiene has worsened and one in five (19%) say their children have missed school due to oral hygiene issues.
Mark Jones, founder of Toothless in England, was not surprised by these findings: "It’s a familiar pattern” he said. "The downward spiral of oral health in this country is increasing at a rapid rate.”
The Hygiene Bank’s 2024 report unsurprisingly show that hygiene poverty is more likely to affect those with a limiting disability or long-term health condition, those on lower household incomes, younger people, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, those not in work, or those living with children. These are the groups that are often disadvantaged in healthcare. The much repeated ambition to reduce oral health inequalities will make only limited progress if people are unable to get the basic items needed to maintain their oral health.
More than half (54%) of those affected by hygiene poverty reported not having been to the dentist in the past 12 months. Looking at at-home oral hygiene, 38% of those living in hygiene poverty reported brushing their teeth less than twice a day. More than half (55%) of those experiencing hygiene poverty reported a change or reduction in the type or quality of dental care products they use at home due to financial constraints.
The survey also asked about children’s dental hygiene, as ongoing research from the Oral Health Foundation suggests a decline in children’s oral health. Almost a third (29%) of parents experiencing hygiene poverty reported changes or a reduction in the type or quality of dental care products used by their children. Overall, nearly a quarter (23%) reported their children’s dental hygiene has worsened in the past 12 months, with 54% who reported it has stayed the same and one in five (20%) who said it has improved.
Hygiene poverty remains a barrier to improving the nation’s dental health, and one that will not be removed even by a new dental contract, or filling the workforce gaps.
The-Hygiene-Bank-Hygiene-Poverty-in-2024-Report-May-2024.pdf (thehygienebank.com)
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