Dentists have warned of a 'growing chasm' between those with good and poor dental health

Dentists have warned of an "unacceptable and growing chasm" between those with good and poor dental health.

The British Dental Association (BDA) said people in the most deprived areas were more likely to have tooth decay than those in the least deprived.

Differences are particularly marked among children, it said, with 50% more five-year-olds in the poorest parts showing decay signs than those in more affluent areas.

Older people, prisoners and those with disabilities are also at risk from poor oral health and need more attention and treatment, the BDA report found.

Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser to the BDA, said: "There has been a significant improvement in the nation's overall oral health over the last 30 years, but despite that we still see a huge disparity that is all-too-often related to social deprivation.

"It is completely unacceptable that in Britain, in 2009, such a wide gap should exist.

"Much good work to address this problem has begun, and this report commends a number of schemes such as Brushing for Life and Sure Start that are starting to make a difference. However, a great deal of work remains to be done and it is vital dentists are supported in doing it."

The report found a seven-fold difference between the dental health of people in the primary care trusts with the best dental treatment and those with the worst.

Levels of untreated dental disease among prisoners are around four times more than that found in normal society, the BDA added.

It also said people who smoked and drank excess alcohol were more susceptible to oral health inequalities, and dentists should be more involved in persuading patients to quit.