TOOTH decay among Southampton children has soared by ten per cent in two years.

Figures obtained by the Daily Echo today show the number of five-year-olds with decayed, missing or filled teeth has risen from 37 per cent in 2002 to 47 per cent last year.

The rise is the biggest increase in Hampshire, despite efforts by health promotion experts to tackle the problem.

Researchers from Southampton City Primary Care Trust found youngsters who had suffered tooth decay had an average of more than four teeth affected.

Latest figures show the problem has also risen in Eastleigh and Test Valley, where 30 per cent of youngsters have tooth decay, Fareham and Gosport (37 per cent) and the Isle of Wight (39 per cent).

The New Forest health area has been doing better if only because there is no change there (30 per cent), but Portsmouth now has the the highest recorded figure in Hampshire, with an increase from 44 per cent to 48 per cent.

In mid-Hampshire, the figure decreased from 30 per cent to 29 per cent.

The figures come as a government report released today claims oral health among five-year-old children has improved in the south-east.

Published by the NHS's South East Public Health Observatory (SEPHO), the report concluded children's dental health across the region was generally good, although it found wide variations between different areas. But that document was based on data compiled between 1995 and 2002. Since then, the statistics have worsened.

Stella Saunders, consultant in dental public health for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority, hit back at the report, and appealed for parents to help protect their children's teeth. She said tooth decay was often linked to deprivation, which was why cities with poor areas - like Southampton - were worst affected.

Ms Saunders said: "The advice is to restrict the number of times children have sugar in either food or drink. These days, people tend to graze all day but it is amazing how many things like prawn cocktail flavoured crisps or cold meats have hidden sugars in them.

"Where possible, people should always look at the labels to check the sugar content.

"We see a lot of children with very thin teeth from drinking cans of fizzy drinks. Really, milk and water are the only safe drinks to give them."

Ms Saunders also urged parents to ensure their children brushed their teeth with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste to help strengthen the surface.

The figures will re-open the debate about water fluoridation. Southampton City Primary Care Trust has already backed the principle of water fluoridatiojn and agreed to ask the strategic health authority to co-ordinate cost and feasibility studies. If the results are positive, the idea will be put out to public consultation.

TOOTH DECAY IN HAMPSHIRE:

Proportion of five-year-old children with tooth decay in 2004 (with 2002 figure in brackets)

Portsmouth City 48% (44%)

Southampton City 47% (37%)

East Hampshire 45% (37%)

Fareham and Gosport 37% (36%)

Isle of Wight 39% (34%)

New Forest 30% (30%)

Mid-Hampshire 29% (30%)

Blackwater Valley/Hart 31% (27%)

Eastleigh/Test Valley South 30% (26%)

North Hampshire 33% (25%)