HEALTH chiefs say tackling poverty is the key to combating County Durham's appalling record of child tooth decay.

A report by the County Durham and Darlington Health Authority reveals that half of all five year olds have suffered some form of decay.

The report, discussed by health and education professionals at a conference at Darlington Arts Centre yesterday, reveals the area has one of the worst dental records in the country.

It coincides with a study by Health Which? identifying a country-wide shortage of NHS dentists.

The study found that 40 per cent of all dental surgeries contacted by researchers would not take on NHS patients.

The figure was 28 per cent in the North-East, where 54 surgeries were contacted.

David Landes, dental health advisor for the County Durham and Darlington Health Authority, said their report had identified three key concerns:

l Poor diet and high sugar intake of youngsters whose families are on a low income

l A low ratio of dentists to patients in the county

l No fluoridation in water, which can cut tooth decay.

Mr Landes said the health authority surveyed more than 6,000 five year olds in the county.

In Darlington, 56 per cent of those included in the survey had suffered some form of dental decay, compared with the national average of 38 per cent.

Mr Landes said: "Tooth disease is increasingly linked to poverty, and unfortunately we are in a very poor area of the country. We have discussed concerns about the diet of young children which tends to be very poor with high levels of sugar. We also have in the county not as many dentists as we would like which can be a problem with transport costs quite high."

Mr Landes said work would be taking place to raise awareness of the importance of an improved diet and to provide better access to health care services.

He also said that the health authority was looking at expanding the provision of school milk which is high in calcium