Black Country towns with worst child tooth decay rates revealed
The number of children in Sandwell and Walsall with tooth decay is higher than the England average, with fewer youngsters visiting an NHS dentist for treatment.
New figures have revealed Sandwell and Walsall children's tooth decay rates are worse than England's average, with fewer children from both areas going to the dentist.
The figures from the Practice Radar, a UK-based digital marketing software tool, have revealed that almost three in 10, five-year-olds in Sandwell have had tooth decay.
This is compared to around 22 percent across England.
The stats also highlight that 53.3 percent of children in Sandwell saw an NHS dentist from 2025 to March 2026, which was below England's 58.9 percent average.
Practice Radar also suggested that 25.3 per cent of five-year-olds in Walsall have had tooth decay, compared to 22.4 percent across England.
The NHS says that parents should start brushing a baby's teeth as soon as the first milk tooth breaks through which is usually at around six months old.
Jack Henty, co-owner of Bollington Dental Practice in Cheshire and founder of Practice Radar, said: “NHS dental care is free for children, so my advice to parents is simple. Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, keep sugary drinks to mealtimes, and get them booked in with a dentist. Even if their teeth look fine."
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