YOUNG children in north Hampshire are grinning from ear to ear after outshining their peers across the country. A survey has revealed that dental health in the area is much better than average when compared to the rest of England - and it is also the best in Hampshire. Just 25 to 27 per cent of five-year-olds locally have decayed, missing or filled teeth compared to 39 per cent nationally. The oral health of children in north Hampshire also beats those elsewhere in the county with 75 per cent of five-year-olds having no problems with their teeth. The worst area for oral health in Hampshire is Portsmouth where 56 per cent of five year olds have no teething problems, followed by east Hampshire and Southampton where the figure is 63 per cent. Despite the majority of north Hampshire children having above average oral health, there are still some patches of areas where it is not as good. In 11 out of 67 schools in the area, the average pupil has 1.3 or more decayed, missing or filled teeth. The average for north Hampshire as a whole is 0.81. The national target is one. The figures come in the latest national children's dental-health survey and were reported to health chiefs at a recent meeting. Femi Oduneye, director of public health at Blackwater Valley and Hart Primary Care Trust, said: "The bottom line is that the oral health for the population here is generally good. "This is a reflection of the fact that the parents in the area are obviously doing the right thing in terms of nutrition, regular check ups to check everything is OK, using fluoride toothpaste and making sure their children consume fewer sugary drinks. "However, there are still pockets of areas that do not meet the national target for oral health, and so require focused attention. "There are measures we can put in place in schools that we know are doing worse than others in terms of dental health, such as educating about the importance of good food and exercise, raising awareness of tooth brushing and reducing smoking." Health bosses in some parts of the south of the county are considering adding fluoride to the water supply to help improve oral health, but Dr Oduneye said he would not currently support this in north Hampshire. He said: "The bulk of the children in this area have good oral health. What we have got is pockets of areas where it is not so good, so adding fluoride would not be cost effective. "We are better off just having targeted intervention, visiting areas where we know there is a greater need to encourage better oral health." Gillian Spencer, acting director of public health at North Hampshire Primary Care Trust, said: "Water fluoridation is the single most effective means of reducing dental health inequalities. Children benefit most but adults benefit too, particularly those who live most of their lives in a fluoridated area. "Fluoride can be made available to individuals via other mechanisms, but these all require continuing positive personal action by the individual, a carer, or a dental professional. "Water fluoridation does not require any behavioural change from its recipients, and studies comparing the cost-effectiveness of water fluoridation with other strategies to reduce dental decay always conclude that water fluoridation is the generally most cost- effective approach. "In north Hampshire, dental health is generally good compared to the rest of Hampshire and England, and so the overall need is low compared to other parts of the county, albeit with demonstrable local inequalities. "The water supply in north Hampshire is dominated by bore-hole supplies, which would mean a much more complex and expensive delivery system for the fluoride, so it less certain that there would be a viable, cost-effective fluoridation scheme to implement locally." But she added: "Given the lower need, doubt about a viable fluoridation scheme, current resource constraints and imminent organisational changes, a pragmatic approach suggested for now is 'watchful waiting'. "A repeat census survey of five year olds is due to be undertaken this year, and if this shows a widening in local dental health inequalities and worsening in general dental health, then the board(s) should have a more comprehensive debate about water fluoridation for the community they serve." North Hampshire PCT has agreed a number of measures for improving dental health including focusing on preventative measures such as running programmes on diet improvements, reducing smoking and cutting down alcohol misuse in schools where dental hygiene is less good.