EVERY head teacher in the area is being asked to pull the plug on sticky sweets and drinks at school tuck shops in an attempt to stop tooth rot among our children.

The call has come from the guardians of public health, the Community Health Council, after local children were identified as having the worst teeth in England.

They suffer more decay, have more fillings and lose more teeth than children in even the most deprived parts of the country.

The appalling figures are blamed on several causes: children in East Lancashire drink twice as many cans of fizzy drinks as elsewhere and use less toothpaste.

Cultural feeding practices in the Asian community, where babies are fed sweetened milk, is also a factor.

Community Health Council chief officer Helen Gee is also asking heads to involve school governors to see what can be done.

She said: "It is important that we all recognise the damage that is being caused to children's teeth and we appeal to children, parents and teachers to realise that.

"We are suggesting practical things that can be done, and there is a simple message - don't let the school tuck shop tempt children into causing damage to their teeth."

The health watchdog is trying to get parents to take up additional tactics in the battle against tooth decay.

As well as cutting down on sugary food and drink they want them to encourage regular visits to the dentist and brushing teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.

The CHC recently clashed with the area health authority over the introduction of fluoride in the water. Its members refused to go along with the idea.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.