Designed to Smile scheme launches in Wales

Welsh citizens are to be helped on the road to better oral health, health minister Edwina Hart has announced.

The National Oral Health Action Plan for Wales is the first of its kind and is intended to ensure that everyone living in Wales has equally good access to good dental care.

Around £4.6million of funding is being given to the programme which will fortify Community Dental Services, freeze dental patient charges and improve care for children who suffer from severe dental decay.

Edwina Hart said: “Rates of tooth decay in Wales are unacceptable for what is almost a totally preventable disease. Some of our children have some of the worst teeth in Europe.”

Ms Hart also described how ensuring children can look after their teeth while they are young will stand them in good stead for later years.

The number of children with tooth decay in the UK has decreased over the last two decades according to the 2003 Children’s Dental Health Survey.

Only 13 per cent of 15 years olds had obvious decay in 2003 which was a 29 per cent reduction from 1983.