Children: Oral Health

Lord Bradshaw Excerpts
Monday 4th December 2017

(7 years, 10 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord O'Shaughnessy Portrait Lord O'Shaughnessy
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Probably not by giving out lollies to say well done for coming. The noble Countess makes an important point, but some 7 million under-18s were seen by a dentist in the last year for which data is available, which is an increase on previous years, so I think that things are improving.

Lord Bradshaw Portrait Lord Bradshaw (LD)
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Will the Minister consider asking manufacturers of sugary cereals to include in the packet a free toothbrush, which would cost them very little?

Lord O'Shaughnessy Portrait Lord O'Shaughnessy
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That is one idea that I will certainly take away. Some of the impact that we are having is on reformulation, which is perhaps even more preventive than putting toothbrushes in cereals. There is a plan to reduce sugar in key foods by 20% by 2020, specifically for the benefit of children.