The government has been urged to provide free toothpaste and toothbrushes to families to help improve rates of child tooth decay .
Dentists are seeking a new approach to tackle the growing number of children who have to undergo painful extractions due to the poor state of their teeth .
In addition to free toothpaste and toothbrushes, they want schools and to stop rewarding pupils with chocolate and to end the practice of sharing birthday cakes at schools; childminders and nursery staff to ensure that toddlers brush their teeth twice a day; and for parents to stop sweetening their babies' feeding bottles.
Their recommendations also include all schoolchildren having fluoride varnish painted on their teeth at least twice a year (less than 15 per cent currently do so) and "meet the dentist " sessions at primary schools.
Writing in the British Dental Journal, Dr Gill Davies and Dr Colette Bridgman, dental public health specialists who work for Manchester's NHS primary care trust, said: "It is the parents who have influence over food and diet choices, purchasing and use of toothpaste and the making of appointments for dental care ."
"How many children are likely to insist that no more biscuits or sugary drinks be bought for a household?"
"If the oral health of five-year-olds is to be tackled, then clearly health improvement interventions need to commence well before children start school," they added.
"Action is required from the start to encourage breastfeeding, avoid unhealthy feeding practices and start with good toothbrushing habits."
