There have been dozens of admissions for Blackburn with Darwen children’s teeth to be removed due to decay in the past 12 months, according to NHS figures.

According to the data, dentists in Blackburn with Darwen had 175 admissions for tooth extractions on children with tooth decay in the year to March, almost one every two days.

However this is down on the previous year, when there were 250 admissions.

There were 410 admissions for children who needed teeth removed across East Lancashire, which is down down on 420 the year before.

While the figures are down, Blackburn MP Kate Hollern said the “crisis in NHS dentistry” still needs to be “urgently addressed”.

The number of procedures across England was down on pre-pandemic levels, and the British Dental Association said the figures will likely end up exceeding pre-pandemic highs, as millions struggle to access dental care.

The numbers have been rounded to the nearest five and do not represent the number of patients, as a child may have more than one admission within the period.

The exact figures for fewer than eight admissions have not been disclosed due to patient confidentiality.

Across England, there were 29,981 admissions in the year to March, 3,833 fewer than between 2019-20.

In Blackburn with Darwen, most extraction procedures (110) were conducted on children aged five to nine, which accounted for 63 per cent of the admissions.

Across England, the rate for this age group was almost 60 per cent.

Children aged 15 to 17 required the fewest procedures, with fewer than eight extractions conducted in Blackburn with Darwen.

Labour MP Ms Hollern said: “Whilst it is encouraging to see a reduction in admissions for tooth extractions on children with tooth decay in Blackburn with Darwen, the number of children being admitted to hospital for extraction nationally remains high.

“As parents struggle to secure appointments for their children and face long waiting lists, dental problems progress to the point where extraction is necessary.

"The wider crisis in NHS dentistry must be urgently addressed.”

Eddie Crouch, chair of the BDA, said although the national figures are down on pre-pandemic highs, “it is not for want of demand”.

Mr Crouch said: “Tooth decay is a wholly preventable disease and remains the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children.

“With millions struggling to access care, and deep oral health inequalities set to widen, ministers cannot keep sitting by the side lines.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The number of children seen by NHS dentists rose by 43.6 per cent last year.

“We are working to improve access to NHS dental care – investing more than £3 billion a year into dentistry – and we are also taking preventative measures to improve children’s oral health, such as expanding water fluoridation schemes which can significantly reduce the number of children experiencing tooth decay.

“Further reforms are planned for this year.”