'They were black stumps': Babies as young as one hospitalised with tooth decay
There has been a sharp rise in young children needing dental surgery, prompting dentists to remind parents of the importance of good oral health for their kids.
Babies as young as one-year-old are being hospitalised with tooth decay, dentists warn.
"I've taken every tooth out of a child's mouth, and that was a child about three or four," Dr Mark Penrose of the SA Dental Service said.
"I couldn't save them. They were black stumps".
In the past year, 24 babies under one have required a full anaesthetic to treat decay in South Australia alone, with many getting teeth extracted.
That number rises to 2500 for under-eight year olds, and the rate is rising.
Experts are looking closely at parents, because tooth decay in young children is mostly a preventable issue.
The usual suspects are to blame – not cleaning teeth, consuming sugary drinks and foods, and putting a baby to bed with a bottle of milk.
Dentists say the cost of visiting them is not to blame, as 250,000 South Australian children under 18 are eligible for free dental care.
Only a third of those eligible, however, are turning up.
