It may well be a new year but sadly, the problems we continue to face with oral health remain very much the same.

New figures on childhood tooth extractions across England show a sustained growth in the number of children undergoing tooth extractions in hospital.

There are two major issues which have contributed to this problem, the first and most obvious being excessive sugar consumption while the second is a lack of basic oral health education to children which is delivered in an effective and preventative.

As a result, we will be focusing much of our future efforts into tightening reform on sugary foods and drinks and also addressing oral hygiene within the curriculum for nursery and school children.

Also in this issue, we report on a new study which points to role that text messages could have in the early detection of mouth cancer, comment on barriers to dental care for the elderly, and examine new findings that show tooth brushing alone does not protect children from tooth decay.

Finally, we have advice and guidance for looking after children’s teeth, and also welcome a series of new Scottish dental policies which very much put the focus onto prevention.

I hope you enjoy this month’s edition of Word of Mouth and once again, thank you for all your support.

View: Word of Mouth: January 2018