It is estimated that around one in three adults in England have tooth decay and a survey of five-year-old children in 2012 found that more than one in four suffered from the problem to some degree. Now new research from the watchdog Public Health England has revealed that 12% of three-year-olds have some tooth decay – and in some parts of the UK that figure rises to a third.

Concerns about tooth decay have in the past usually been focused on children eating sweets ...

... while fruit juices have been promoted as healthy and are included in five-a-day recommendations ...

But filling bottles and sipping cups with juice or squash, which contains large quantities of sugar and coats the back of the front teeth with sugary liquid, causes decay from an early age.

Added to that are the high levels of sugar in confectionery ...

... and soft drinks such as Ribena.

Public Health England recommends that parents should use fluoride toothpaste for their children. The government believes there is a correlation between fluoridation and reduced tooth decay, but only 10% of the country currently has the chemical added to its water supply.