Shocking levels of tooth decay in Bradford children have been condemned as 'scandalous' by a dental health expert.

Youngsters in some parts of the district have the highest rate of tooth decay in the Northern and Yorkshire region, according to a report released today.

Figures compiled by regional dental adviser Dr John Beal show that more than half of youngsters have suffered tooth decay by the age of five, with an average of four rotten, missing or filled teeth.

And Bradford City Primary Care Trust is at the bottom of the league table of 44 PCTs, with nearly 70 per cent of five-year-olds affected by decay.

The one-off report was compiled by the Northern and Yorkshire Public Health Observatory in a bid to highlight the extent of the problem.

Today Dr Beal said young children were facing potentially life-threatening operations as they had to undergo general anaesthetic to have teeth extracted.

"That really is a scandal for a disease which could be prevented by subjecting children to a smaller risk," he said.

"People think that there's a small risk but there are children who are injured or even die by having a general anaesthetic."

The study examined nearly 39,000 five-year-olds across the region during 1999 and 2000.

Nearly 54 per cent of five-year-olds in Bradford had at least one decayed, missing or filled tooth, compared to 37 per cent on Newcastle and Tyneside.

Bradford City was the only PCT to have more than an average of three decayed teeth per five-year-old, with 66 per cent of children experiencing some decay, compared to Airedale's 42 per cent.

Government targets state that five-year-olds should have no more than one decayed, missing of filled tooth by 2003 and that 70 per cent should have no experience of decay.

Dr Beal blamed deprivation and non-fluoridation of water supplies on the poor figures in Bradford. But he added that health authorities and PCTs must brush up on dental care and oral health promotion.

He said: "Dental decay is a disease of poverty. Therefore the more deprived the area, the more dental decay children suffer.

"But there are a number of factors in that it's not uncommon for the Asian community to give babies bottles of sugary solutions, particularly at bedtime. We also know from our study that they tend to use fluoride toothpaste later than other children. They are increasing the attacking factor and decreasing the prevention factor."

Dentists had been increasingly isolated from the NHS and needed to work with partners to promote oral health, he added.

"We need more joint working rather than the dental professionals trying to do it all themselves," he said.

Professor Sonia Williams, Bradford consultant in public health, today welcomed the report, which she hoped would help Primary Care Trusts tackle the problem.

She said: "One of the problems why we want tooth decay reduced in children is that if it's well developed, you cannot save the tooth and it has to be extracted. By that stage, the child has a lot of pain and may be missing school or nursery because of the pain, sleepless night and they have to have the tooth extracted.

"It might be that they have to have a general anaesthetic and the move is to reduce this as there is always an inherent risk.

"We want people to go to the dentist and register as early as possible, but we also want them to take responsibility and to be aware of the risks. It's their actions which can prevent or promote tooth decay in the first place."

It can also cause complications for those with serious conditions such as congenital heart disease and haemophilia (bleeding disorders), she added.

Dentist Nick Shore, a partner at A&S dental practice on Duckworth Lane, Bradford, echoed the report's concerns and urged parents to take their children for regular check-ups.

"It's vital and the earlier the better," he said. "If they come as a baby, they co-operate a lot better. If they come later, their first experience can be a painful one. That's something that need not happen."