YOUNG children in York have a higher level of dental plaque than any other area in Yorkshire and the Humber, according to government figures.

Research by Public Health England shows that 5.9 per cent of five-year-olds in York have substantial plaque - well above the national average of 1.5 per cent.

Dentists say they are concerned by the figures. The chair of the British Dental Association, NHS dentist Mick Armstrong, said: “We should not accept that a child raised in York will enter primary school with six times the levels of decay as one born in the Surrey home of the health secretary. Sadly while cavities are almost wholly preventable, official indifference means this inequality gap shows little sign of narrowing.

“It’s a tragedy that a child’s oral health is still determined by their postcode and their parents’ incomes.”

Earlier this year a survey conducted by Healthwatch York found some residents are waiting more than two years to find an NHS dentist or are having to travel way outside the city to see one.

A spokesman for the organisation said: “The number of dental caries and tooth extractions in children and young people in York is concerning. It is important that action is taken, and that the best dental care and advice is available to all children and young people across the city.”

Figures obtained by The Press following a Freedom of Information request show that 134 people have had to go to A&E at York Hospital for emergency tooth extractions since the start of 2015, with the youngest patient aged just one year old.

And more than 640 youngsters under the age of 18 have had routine tooth extractions carried out at the hospital in that time.

The figures come just weeks after the news that the number of five-year-olds in York classed as obese has increased.

Fiona Phillips, assistant director for public health, said: “Public Health England figures also show that York is better than the national average in 11 of the 16 indicators around the oral health of children, however we recognise that the figures around plaque are not where we would want them to be currently.

“We are committed to further improving children’s oral health. This is why we have set up a multi-agency group with a range of partners- including Healthwatch York. As part of this effort we are working hard to understand better the areas where we can improve, using data and insights which will be used to create a strategy.”

She added some schools and nurseries now offer supervised tooth-brushing.