ALARMING levels of child tooth decay have prompted health chiefs to mount an ambitious prevention programme.

Some 30,000 free tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes have been posted to all children aged three to 11.

Barry Cockcroft, the chief dental officer at the Department of Health came to Widnes on Friday to see how poor dental health is being tackled.

Keith Milsom, consultant in dental public health at NHSHalton and St Helens, said: “We are faced locally with having higher levels of tooth decay than the national average.

“This is obviously of great concern to us, to the parents of our children and children themselves who will have to live with the consequences of early decay.

“Fluoride toothpaste is convenient to use and has been linked to the decline in levels of dental decay in many countries.”

Free toothpaste will be distributed to children again in the summer and for the next two years.

Extra capacity in dental surgeries is being made available so that all children requiring dental treatment are able to receive it.

Dentists are being encouraged to expand the use of fluoride varnish which strengthens teeth against decay.

In Halton, 50 per cent of five year olds are affected by dental decay compared to the national average of 38 per cent.

The average five year old in England has 1.47 teeth affected by tooth decay. In Halton, the figure is two.