Over a million children under five have at least two fillings because their mothers fail to make them brush their teeth, a British study has found.
Researchers found almost a quarter of parents saying their little ones only cleaned their teeth once a day, with half saying they found the whole experience too stressful, Daily Mail reported.
As a result, one in six admitted their child had at least three fillings and almost half of children under 12 have been told they have tooth decay.
It was also found that visiting the dentist filling mums with as much dread as their kids - one in seven feel judged when the dentist has to give their child a filling and a quarter feel embarrassed about the state of their child's mouth.
Conducted by Aquafresh, the research also revealed one in 100 mothers having kids suffering from gum disease - traditionally an adult condition - and the same amount have at least five fillings.
According to leading dentist Tina Tanna, every mum knows how hard it is to get their kids to brush their teeth "but these results show how important this really is".
"Dental decay can lead to complications such as tooth loss so it's key that kids learn to brush properly when they are young to prevent further issues as their adult teeth begin to grow," Tanna added.
