SIR - I've been following your 'Stop the Rot' campaign with interest and was shocked but not surprised to hear that between April and December 2016 190 children from the Bradford district were admitted to hospital to undergo multiple tooth extractions. The impact on those children and the cost to the NHS is huge.

It's easy to blame the Government, the NHS, the Council and dental practices but during a brief internet search on the NHS website I found five dentists located within three miles of Bradford city centre accepting new NHS patients under 18.

There are also dentists accepting adult NHS patients, one just a mile from the city centre. It is down to parents to register their children and take them twice a year for a check up.

The other point is that a check up twice a year is not going to stop tooth decay. What will prevent children suffering painful teeth and extractions is daily care. Health visitors provide parents with advice about avoiding sugary drinks, give away toothbrushes, toothpaste, and many schools have toothbrushing sessions.

The majority of parents take note of the advice and help but some don't. It's time they put their children first.

Cllr Debbie Davies (Baildon ward, Conservative Spokesman for Education), Hartlington Court, Baildon