MALVERN dental practice Beacon DentalCare has been looking after the teeth of a group of children from Belarus brought to the UK by Chernobyl Children's Lifeline.

Due to the high levels of radiation in their home environment and a poor diet, the children suffer from high levels of tooth decay, often with very large cavities in both their baby and adult teeth by the age of 10.

Karen Sutton, principle dentist at Beacon said: "It always surprises me how much tooth decay these children have suffered. I can’t imagine how painful it must be to have so many bad teeth at such a young age. The Beacon team are always delighted by the children's behaviour and manners, every year. We repair as many of their teeth as we can, aiming to use materials that will stand the test of time when they go back home again. We also have some fun with them, and our hygienists teach them toothbrushing techniques that they can go and share when they get back to their families."

This is the fifth year the Malvern Link practice has helped a group of Children brought to the UK by the charity. The children come from a very deprived background often living without running water or basic sanitation. The practice provides care which aims to maintain their permanent teeth for as long as possible, as well as doing some tooth cleaning for them, and teaching them the best way to brush their teeth. This is hopefully a skill they can pass onto other members of their family who may well also have dental issues.