Almost 500 children in Cumbria had teeth removed because of tooth decay.

Figures for incidents of tooth decay among youngsters in the north west show it is the worst region in the country.

Thirty-three percent of five-year-old children in the region were found to have decayed, missing or filled teeth, compared to the national average 25 per cent.

This comes after new data shows the number of tooth extractions in hospital for children aged four and under has risen by almost a quarter in the last decade.

In Cumbria, almost 500 children underwent tooth extractions in 2015.

Some 57 children had the procedure in Allerdale, compared with 39 infants in Copeland, 15 in Eden and 31 in Carlisle.

A spokesman for Public Health England said: “There are generally less children having extractions in Cumbria as a proportion of the population, compared with the whole of England.

“The proportion has not changed much over the last five years.”

Child dental attendance for Cumbria in the past 12 months remains three percent higher than the national average at 61 per cent.

Speaking about the problem nationally, Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery, said: “When you see the numbers tallied up like this it becomes abundantly clear that the sweet habits of our children are having a devastating effect on the state of their teeth.

“That children as young as one or two need to have teeth extracted is shocking.

“It’s almost certain that the majority of these extractions will be down to tooth decay caused by too much sugar in diets.

“Removal of teeth, especially in hospital under general anaesthetic, is not to be taken lightly. There tends to be an attitude of ‘oh, they are only baby teeth’ but in actual fact, how teeth are looked after in childhood impacts oral health in adulthood.

“Baby teeth set the pattern for adult teeth, including tooth decay.”

The unwelcome news comes after World Oral Health Day, which aimed to dispel many of the various myths associated with brushing our teeth.

These included rinsing your mouth with water immediately after brushing and brushing straight after a meal.