Of these 164,000 children, around 17,000 have already had teeth removed.
The 2017 report shows that in Tower Hamlets in London, 7.2 per cent of five-year-olds have undergone tooth extraction. The national average is 2.4 per cent.
But things are slowly improving – in 2008, 69.1 per cent of fiveyear-olds showed no obvious signs of dental decay. This had risen to 76.7 per cent by last year.
The PHE report reveals “wide variation” between regions, with children from more deprived backgrounds more likely to experience decay.
British Dental Association chairman Mick Armstrong said: “It’s a tragedy that a child’s oral health is still determined by their postcode.”
And Izzi Seccombe, chairwoman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “Tooth decay is largely preventable yet is the most common oral disease affecting children and young people.
“This study underlines how regular visits to a dentist can help prevent tooth decay and the need for hospital treatment.”
NHS dental care is free for children.
Experts say youngsters should first visit the dentist when their milk teeth appear and have regular check-ups.
