Brighton and Hove’s toddlers have the pearliest whites and most beaming smiles in the country.

And that’s not just in the opinion of their proud parents but according to a new Government study which states that under fives in the city have the best dental health in England.

Just one in eight youngsters in the city suffered from tooth decay compared to more than one in two in the worst dental hygiene hotspots.

More

Nationally, more than one in four children had at least one tooth that needed either a filling or to be removed.

The city’s health bosses said that the amount of dental information given to parents and a scheme giving away free toothbrushes were key to the city’s success.

Only one in every 100 children surveyed in Brighton and Hove had a missing tooth because of dental decay compared to one in every 67 children in East Sussex and one in every 25 in West Sussex.

On average, one in five children in Brighton and Hove had a decayed tooth which had to be filled, one in four in East Sussex and one in three in West Sussex.

Tom Scanlon, director of public health for Brighton and Hove, said: “This is great news and shows the hard work being carried out across the city in Children’s Centres, early years services, by the council’s health visitors and the city’s NHS dental health specialists.

“NHS specialists attend baby groups to give advice to parents on things like the amount of sugar in foods and encouraging children to drink water and not juice.

“Brighton and Hove City Council’s health visitors take dental health very seriously and give out free toothbrushes to families.

“Advice is given to parents at the first sign of a tooth on how to sooth the baby and then how to look after the new tooth.

“The dental health specialists also give presentations to nurseries and playgroups about the importance of dental hygiene.

“Many will encourage children to brush teeth while at nursery.”