Just 15% of children in Waltham Forest Council's care saw a dentist last year

Data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has shown that just 15% of children looked after by Waltham Forest Council had their teeth checked by a dentist last year – below the London average of 71% and far behind Liberal Democrat-run Kingston Council at 93%.

Waltham Forest Council performed worse than any other London borough, falling so far behind that doubling their performance would still leave them the worst-performing borough.

There is a statutory requirement that children being looked after by the council have their teeth checked by a dentist once a year.

This comes as House of Commons data shows that two thirds of adults and children across the borough did not visit a dentist over the last two years. The Liberal Democrats nationally have been calling for NHS dentistry contracts to be urgently reviewed by the government to reverse the decline in dental care.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Leyton & Wanstead, Tara Copeland, said:

"These figures are deeply concerning. Children in care in Waltham Forest are being sorely let down by our Labour-run council."

"The NHS has lost almost 700 dentists in the last year, however, the government's poor performance cannot explain why Waltham Forest lags behind other local councils."

"We urge Waltham Forest's newly installed portfolio holder for Children and Young People to get to grips with this as a matter of urgency."