MORE than 100 youngsters extracted the last drop of fun from an action-packed trip to their local dental practice this week.

Moreton Dental Care joined forces with Wirral Community NHS Trust to lay on a four-hour session of free entertainment with the aim of encouraging youngsters to look after their teeth from an early age.

The fun day included a demonstration of teeth cleaning by puppets, talks on teeth decay and healthy eating and face painting.

Recent national reports highlighted the fact that tooth decay is the biggest reason for primary school children being admitted to hospital.

NHS data shows that almost 26,000 children in England between five and nine were hospitalised for multiple tooth extractions in 2013-14 - almost 500 a week.

James Duckers, operational team leader with Wirral Community NHS Trust, said: “From our point of view any way we can encourage people to be a bit less resistant to getting their teeth checked and looking after the whole body has got to be a good thing.

“Advice like this can break down some of those barriers.”

Dentist Paul Sherrard said: "We've had an amazing response from the local community.

"We wanted youngsters to pick up a few health tips and have a bit of fun and judging by the number of children who turned up I think we achieved that."