Nearly a third of children in Sussex have decayed and missing teeth or fillings by the age of five.

The shocking figures are revealed in a survey by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry.

They come despite a series of campaigns encouraging youngsters to eat more healthily.

There are also fears the problem could get worse because of a shortage of NHS dentists in some areas.

The worst performing area in Sussex was Hastings and Rother, where 39 per cent of five-year-olds had decayed, missing or filled teeth.

In Brighton and Hove the figure was 32 per cent and West Sussex was 33 per cent.

Children in the East Sussex Downs and Weald area had the best-cared for teeth with 28 per cent having problems.

The county performs well compared to the national average for England and Wales, which is 39 per cent but experts agree more still needs to be done.

The worst rates are in Merthyr Tydfil, with 76 per cent and Blaenau Gwent with 70 per cent.

Children in Mid Essex had the best teeth in England with just 21 per cent having missing, decayed or filled teeth by the age of five, followed by Solihull with 22 per cent and south Staffordshire with 23 per cent.

Dentists blame the problems on the amount of sugary foods and fizzy drinks many children are allowed to have.

Worthing-based dentist Alex Higham said: "We are still seeing young children being brought up on a diet where they have too many snacks that can cause problems later on.

"The message needs to be brought across that while the occasional treat is fine as long a teeth are brushed properly afterwards, constant snacking on sweets and fizzy drinks is damaging.

"Levels of decay may be lower here than in other parts of the country but that does not mean people can be complacent."

Dental Practitioners Association Derek Watson said: "The reason we have so much tooth decay is that we eat more sugar than we think.

"We have the sweetest tooth in Europe. Fruit juice may cause erosion, but tooth decay, the black holes in children's teeth, is caused almost entirely by sugar.

"Parents and grandparents continue to give children sweets and so children crave them. They regard giving sweets as a token of love and fail to take the consequences seriously enough.

"If we cut sugar out of our diet we would end tooth decay."

The findings have also prompted renewed calls for the fluoridation of water supplies as levels of decay were lower in areas where this happened.

British Dental Health Foundation chief executive Nigel Carter said a recent TV ban on junk-food advertising targeted at children would also have an impact.