HORROR AT KIDS' ROTTING TEETH

14% rise as youngsters need 56,000 hospital extractions

- BY MARTIN BAGOT Health Editor

DENTISTS are horrified by a rise in the number of kids who need rotten teeth surgically removed.

There were 56,000 teeth extraction operations in England during 2024/25 for people aged 19 or younger, which is a 14% rise on the previous year.

Almost two-thirds of these operations were due to tooth decay, amid a collapse in access to NHS dentists.

There has been a steady increase in the number of "tooth extraction episodes" since 2022 and most involve having multiple teeth out. It follows reports of some children waiting for up to a year in pain.