LONDON, April 10 (UPI) -- Sugary diets and poor dental care have resulted in an increasing number of children having teeth pulled under general anesthetics, say dentists in England.

The number of teeth pulled under anesthetics has risen by two thirds in less than a decade with hospitals in England now treating more than 30,000 children a year for serious dental problems, The Times of London reported Friday.

The number of rotted teeth being pulled from children increased from about 20,000 in March 1997 to 33,500 in April 2006. said the study by researchers from Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth, and University College London.

On average, 5-year-olds were most likely to have problems requiring general anesthetics, the study found, noting many of the problems could have been prevented by regular brushing and routine dental checkups.
Children from low-income families were twice as likely to need treatment as those from more affluent families, the study found.

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