Insights: Why Children’s Oral Health is Everybody’s Business

25 January 2018, The Museum of London

Join Sara Hurley, Baroness Floella Benjamin and other leading figures in dental health at this unique one-day event.

The recently published ‘State of Child Health’ report revealed that 31-41% of 5-year-old children across the UK are affected by tooth decay and this is the single most common reason why children aged five to nine are admitted to hospital. This represents a significant, but avoidable challenge to our NHS.

To tackle this problem, it is up to all professionals that work with children to spot the signs of poor oral health and take the appropriate action. In turn, we believe this will drive improvements in child oral health, leading to less hospital referrals and less complications later in life.

But, we can only achieve this by working together, with dental professionals, like you.

‘Insights: Why Children’s Oral Health is Everybody’s Business’ is a new event from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health organised in partnership with the Office of the Chief Dental Officer and the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry. The event aims to bring together those who work with children including paediatricians and teachers, as well as dental professionals, to share best practice, compare experiences and hear insightful talks from leading voices.

Speakers confirmed for the main event will form a prestigious line-up, including Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, Sara Hurley, Dr Jenny Godson and many more.

Here’s what Sara Hurley, Chief Dental Officer England, had to say about the summit:

“This event is a vital response to the call for multi-agency collaboration to tackle the complex interplay of factors that cause childhood diseases. A real opportunity to understand why childhood dental decay is everyone's business, the nature and extent of childhood oral health issues and how it impacts on general health and well-being.  At the heart of the event is an opportunity to develop a progressive, collaborative approach and strengthen the links between the paediatric and the dental care communities to the benefit of our patients.”

Find out more about this event at www.rcpch.ac.uk/insights-oral