This alarming health problem makes children miss school – and how we fix it

Scientists are warning about a simple health issue causing hundreds of thousands of children to miss extra days of school.

Tooth decay and other dental issues mean pupils lose hours of valuable lesson time – with the poorest kids worst affected.

The problem has been revealed by researchers in Scotland, but they warn that the tooth fairy could be even busier in England.

Their study of over 260,000 Scottish children found that children with tooth decay missed on average five more half-days of school per year than those with healthy teeth.

A staggering third, more than 85,000 children, were suffering from poor oral health.

School absences got longer with worsening dental problems.

Children who needed emergency treatment for their teeth or had to have them removed under general anaesthetic lost more than three days of lessons.

Mariel Goulart, a dentist who led the research for Glasgow University, told Metro: ‘Missing school, even just half-days, can hurt a child’s learning

‘This study shows that fixing tooth decay isn’t just about health – it’s about giving kids a fair chance in school, especially in deprived communities.’

The study, which looked at kids aged 4 to 7 years old, was published on July 7 this year.

Of the children being studied who had tooth decay, they missed on average22 half days, or 11 full days at school.

Those without tooth decay missed only 15 half-days or 7 full days.

When researchers adjusted these results to account for other factors, they found children with caries experience (tooth decay) missed on average five more half-days of school per year.

The most concerning finding, however, was how children from poorer backgrounds could miss even more school due to dental hygiene.

Researchers found that school kids in the poorest areas missed nearly twice as many days due to teeth problems compared to those in wealthier areas.

Goulart said of this result: ‘I honestly didn’t think it would be this much.

‘Child poverty is something that is really important for oral health and education outcomes are related to income levels.’

Government research shows that pupils who performed better both at the end of primary and secondary school missed fewer days than those who didn’t perform as well.

Goulart says, however, that poor oral hygiene could be impacting learning even if kids turn up to lessons.

She explained: ‘What about the days when children were at school but in pain? Were they paying attention to the classroom? I don’t think so.’

As a result, the researcher is calling for free school meals to be rolled out more widely across the UK.

‘Free school meals should be available for every child despite personal income,’ she said.

‘If you have a healthy meal, it is one time less a day that you eat sugar, biscuits or anything that’s harmful for your teeth.’

Over 380,000 pupils in Scotland will be eligible for free school meals in the coming school year.

Scotland also introduced a supervised toothbrushing programme, called Childsmile in nurseries and schools from 2008.

Goulart acknowledged Childsmile had successfully brought down rates of tooth decay.

Indeed, the latest National Dental Inspection Programme results show 73 per cent of Primary 1 children (reception in English education) have no obvious tooth decay compared with 58% in 2008, when Childsmile was introduced.

A similar toothbrushing programme was only rolled out in England in March 2025.

Goulart told Metro the delay in introducing a toothbrushing scheme meant the number of children missing school due to dental issues could be higher in England than across the border.

The government’s new scheme aims to give 600,000 children in the most deprived areas access to supervised toothbrushing.

Health minister Stephen Kinnock said in March: ‘It is shocking that a third of 5-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay – something we know can have a lifelong impact on their health.

‘On top of this, we will reform the dental contract to get dentists providing more NHS work as we fundamentally reform the sector through our Plan for Change so it is there for patients once again.

‘It’s why we’re delivering supervised toothbrushing to young children and families who are most in need of support as part of our wider plans to revive the oral health of the nation. 

‘This includes providing 23 million free toothbrushes and toothpastes through our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive to reach up to 600,000 children each year.

‘We’re already rolling out 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments for those who need treatment, but by focusing on prevention we can help children have the best start in life.’

According to Department for Education data, the absence rate in state-funded primary schools was 5.2 percent in the 2024/25 academic year to date.

Of these, 3.8 per cent of these absences were authorised while 1.4 per cent were unauthorised.

A Scottish Government spokesperson praised the 15% improvement in dental hygiene since the introduction of Childsmile.

They told Metro: ‘Every child should be able to attend school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready to learn, and this research highlights the importance of oral improvement programmes in education settings.’

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