Dental health high in region

The West Midlands has the healthiest children's teeth in the country, according to figures published by dental researchers.

The study of five-year-old children across England and Wales found that the region came out top for dental health.

The number of teeth decayed, missing and filled is 50% lower than the national average.

The research, by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry, revealed that seven out of 10 five-year-olds in the region are completely free from dental decay.

Health officials point to water fluoridation as the major factor responsible for the difference between the best and the worst areas of the country.

But the comparably poor dental health of youngsters in Herefordshire saw the county come out as the bottom county in the region.

Only 58% of the sample group of five-year-olds in the county are free of decay.

The Herefordshire group of 100 five-year-olds had 175 missing, decayed or filled teeth between them.