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Metro
a day ago
- Health
- Metro
The avoidable health problem causing thousands of children to miss school
Dog eats homework, overslept alarms and a case of the flu are what come to mind when thinking of reasons a child skips school. But it turns out many parents – and teachers – might be be in the dark about a crucial health issue causing kids to take time off. Scientists have revealed that tooth decay is seeing pupils lose hours of valuable lesson time. And the poorest children are the worst affected. A study of over 260,000 Scottish children found that children with tooth decay missed on average five more half-days of school per year than those with healthy teeth. A third of children – more than 85,000 – were suffering from poor oral health. Absences grew longer with worsening dental problems. Mariel Goulart, a dentist who led the research for Glasgow University, told Metro: 'Missing school, even just half-days, can hurt a child's learning. 'This study shows that fixing tooth decay isn't just about health, it's about giving kids a fair chance in school, especially in deprived communities.' The problem was revealed by researchers in Scotland, but they warn that it could be even worse in England. Children who needed emergency treatment for their teeth or had to have them removed under general anaesthetic lost more than three days of lessons. Of the four to seven-year-olds being studied who had tooth decay, they missed on average 22 half days, or 11 full days at school. Those without tooth decay missed only 15 half-days or seven full days. When researchers adjusted these results to account for other factors, they found children with tooth decay missed on average five more half-days of school per year. One in five children aged 5 in England suffers from tooth decay, and this new study indicates that 140,000 children in that age group alone could therefore be at risk of longer school absences. The most concerning finding, however, was how children from poorer backgrounds could miss even more school due to dental hygiene. Kids in the poorest areas missed nearly twice as many days compared to those in wealthier areas, researchers found. Goulart said: 'I honestly didn't think it would be this much. 'Child poverty is something that is really important for oral health and education outcomes are related to income levels.' She explained: 'What about the days when children were at school but in pain? Were they paying attention to the classroom? I don't think so.' As a result, the researcher is calling for free school meals to be rolled out more widely across the UK. 'Free school meals should be available for every child, despite personal income,' she said. 'If you have a healthy meal, it is one time less a day that you eat sugar, biscuits or anything that's harmful for your teeth.' Scotland Scotland introduced a supervised toothbrushing programme, called Childsmile in nurseries and schools from 2008. Childsmile offers supervised toothbrushing, fluoride varnish application and dietary advice to children in schools and dentists. The latest National Dental Inspection Programme results show 73 per cent of Primary 1 children (reception in English education) have no obvious tooth decay compared with 58 percent in 2008, when Childsmile was introduced. England A similar toothbrushing programme was only rolled out in England in March 2025. It aims to reach up to 600,000 children in most deprived areas. Goulart told Metro the delay in introducing a toothbrushing scheme meant the number of children missing school due to dental issues could be higher in England than across the border. The government's new scheme aims to give 600,000 children in the most deprived areas access to supervised toothbrushing. Health minister Stephen Kinnock said it is 'shocking' that a third of five-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay. Labour plans to reform the dental contract to get dentists to provide more NHS work include: • Providing 23 million free toothbrushes and toothpastes to reach up to 600,000 children each year. More Trending • Rolling out 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments for those who need treatment A Scottish Government spokesperson praised the 15 percent improvement in dental hygiene since the introduction of Childsmile. They told Metro: 'Every child should be able to attend school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready to learn, and this research highlights the importance of oral improvement programmes in education settings.' This article was originally published on 22 July 2025 and has been updated. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Two children killed after youth sailing camp boat struck by barge in Miami MORE: Back-to-school coats sorted – Regatta has kids covered (literally) with up to 50% off MORE: It took over 10 years for me to call myself disabled
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Science
- Scotsman
Should Scotland do more to celebrate its distinctive UFO history?
Robert Taylor, who is said to have encountered a spaceship in woods near Livingston | Contributed From world-famous cases to the Falkirk Triangle, items linked to this bizarre history risk being lost forever Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... In 1979, an alleged alien encounter in woods near Livingston sparked a police investigation and made headlines around the world. Robert Taylor, a 61-year-old forestry worker, was left in a state of shock after apparently encountering a large "dome-shaped" craft in a clearing in Dechmont Woods. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He later told officers two spiked spheres had rolled towards him, and he was aware of a strong smell of burning and being grabbed on either side of his legs before passing out. Robert Taylor, who is said to have encountered a spaceship in woods near Livingston | Contributed The case has since become the stuff of legend, not least because of the police involvement. Mr Taylor, a teetotal churchgoer and war hero, was also seen as an honest witness. He died in 2007. It is undoubtedly the most famous alleged alien encounter in Scotland, but far from the only one. Dr Gavin Miller, an academic at Glasgow University who has researched the cultural history of UFOs in Scotland, believes more should be done to preserve and celebrate this bizarre history. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The UFO phenomenon has been "remade and reinvented" over the decades, he said. Scotland was initially slow to catch on - some early press coverage was dismissive of what it considered to be American mass hysteria - but this attitude gradually shifted. In the 1950s, reports were influenced by Cold War anxiety. In November 1957, around the time of the Sputnik spacecraft launches, a group of tattie howkers, or potato pickers, were supposedly pursued by a flying saucer - more likely a weather balloon - while returning from Musselburgh to Edinburgh in a lorry. An "occult version" of the UFO phenomenon flourished in the 1960s and 70s, Dr Miller said, involving "contactees" who claimed to have communicated with entities or aliens. But a more hard-nosed, investigative approach also emerged, led by groups who were interested in gathering evidence through interviews and physical traces. They seized on Mr Taylor's story. "They all descend upon his house and his home," said Dr Miller, who is giving a talk on Scotland's history with UFOs as part of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's festival of knowledge in September. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "They quiz him and they interview him and they take photographs and they write up reports. And there's even an official British UFO Research Association report on that encounter. They go to extraordinary lengths. "They have soil samples tested. He said there was a mysterious smell that made him pass out, so they get examples of gasses and put them under his nose to see if he can identify it, but he can't, and all the rest of it. "That gave a lot of energy and impetus to Scottish UFO research groups. They start to spring up around this and after this." An artist's impression of the Dechmont Woods incident | Contributed In the 1990s, the small town of Bonnybridge became an unlikely hotspot. The so-called Falkirk Triangle attracted international press coverage, and some enterprising locals sensed an opportunity. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Whatever really happened in Bonnybridge and Falkirk in the 1990s, the locals, in particular Councillor [Billy] Buchanan, who's still with us, were clearly aware of the tourism potential, or the economic potential as they saw it, of having a town associated with UFOs,' Dr Miller said. He has been working with Bonnybridge library to preserve some of this unique history. "There's endless stuff - national, international - and you also see just how much TV coverage and radio coverage they were getting,' he said. 'It really was enormous at the time." The popularity of The X-Files, first aired in 1993, no doubt helped. Other alleged incidents attracted press attention. In August 1992, Garry Wood, a 33-year-old ambulance technician from Edinburgh, and 25-year-old Colin Wright were supposedly abducted by aliens while driving on the A70 near the Harperrig reservoir in West Lothian. Billy Boyd was later attached to a mooted movie adaptation of the sensational tale. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But Dechmont Woods remains perhaps the most enduring mystery. "I think the great thing about the Robert Taylor incident is that it is so baffling,' Dr Miller said. "There is an enormous list of possible explanations, but every possible explanation brings its own problems." Mr Taylor's ripped trousers were taken by the police for forensic examination and later passed into the possession of UFO investigators. 'They've been called the Turin Shroud of Scottish ufology,' Dr Miller said. 'It's this kind of relic. The trousers get exhibited, there's psychic readings, they are shown around, they're passed around.' The trousers are still in the possession of Scottish UFO investigator Malcolm Robinson. In February this year, it was reported he had offered them to the National Museum of Scotland, which turned them down. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "There is perhaps a moral there about Scottish museums and collections and what they do or don't want, and what they think is respectable and what they should be having, and what parts of history they record,' Dr Miller said. "I think it's a bit of a pity that we don't have a more positive attitude to collecting and preserving this heritage. "There's an archive in Sweden, Archives for the Unexplained, and they're collecting stuff from all over the world, and I think our UFO heritage is going there, to be honest. It's not being preserved nationally." There have been high-profile UFO sightings elsewhere in the UK, of course, and Dr Miller does not believe Scotland in itself is a particular hotspot. But it does have its own distinctive history, he argued, and one which plays into wider narratives such as deindustrialisation. "That's a distinctive story, I think, in Scotland because the Bonnybridge hotspot was so obviously, in some ways, about deindustrialisation,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "The heavy industry and manufacturing industry have collapsed, the town was in industrial decline, there was quite a lot of unemployment. And so whatever was really going on in the skies, if it could be regenerated as a UFO hotspot, that would do something for the local economy." A Dechmont Woods UFO trail was launched in 2018. But Dr Miller said more could be done to preserve and promote items relating to Scotland's UFO history. "We don't have to naively endorse them, but if we don't get hold of this stuff and collect and preserve and promote it, it will be lost,' he said. 'I think that's the problem - it will be lost. Somebody will have all this stuff and it will just go in bin bags and it will be in a skip."
Metro
22-07-2025
- Health
- Metro
This alarming health problem makes children miss school - and how we fix it
Scientists are warning about a simple health issue causing hundreds of thousands of children to miss extra days of school. Tooth decay and other dental issues mean pupils lose hours of valuable lesson time – with the poorest kids worst affected. The problem has been revealed by researchers in Scotland, but they warn that the tooth fairy could be even busier in England. Their study of over 260,000 Scottish children found that children with tooth decay missed on average five more half-days of school per year than those with healthy teeth. A staggering third, more than 85,000 children, were suffering from poor oral health. School absences got longer with worsening dental problems. Children who needed emergency treatment for their teeth or had to have them removed under general anaesthetic lost more than three days of lessons. Mariel Goulart, a dentist who led the research for Glasgow University, told Metro: 'Missing school, even just half-days, can hurt a child's learning 'This study shows that fixing tooth decay isn't just about health – it's about giving kids a fair chance in school, especially in deprived communities.' The study, which looked at kids aged 4 to 7 years old, was published on July 7 this year. Of the children being studied who had tooth decay, they missed on average22 half days, or 11 full days at school. Those without tooth decay missed only 15 half-days or 7 full days. When researchers adjusted these results to account for other factors, they found children with caries experience (tooth decay) missed on average five more half-days of school per year. The most concerning finding, however, was how children from poorer backgrounds could miss even more school due to dental hygiene. Researchers found that school kids in the poorest areas missed nearly twice as many days due to teeth problems compared to those in wealthier areas. Goulart said of this result: 'I honestly didn't think it would be this much. 'Child poverty is something that is really important for oral health and education outcomes are related to income levels.' Government research shows that pupils who performed better both at the end of primary and secondary school missed fewer days than those who didn't perform as well. Goulart says, however, that poor oral hygiene could be impacting learning even if kids turn up to lessons. She explained: 'What about the days when children were at school but in pain? Were they paying attention to the classroom? I don't think so.' As a result, the researcher is calling for free school meals to be rolled out more widely across the UK. 'Free school meals should be available for every child despite personal income,' she said. 'If you have a healthy meal, it is one time less a day that you eat sugar, biscuits or anything that's harmful for your teeth.' Over 380,000 pupils in Scotland will be eligible for free school meals in the coming school year. Scotland also introduced a supervised toothbrushing programme, called Childsmile in nurseries and schools from 2008. Goulart acknowledged Childsmile had successfully brought down rates of tooth decay. Indeed, the latest National Dental Inspection Programme results show 73 per cent of Primary 1 children (reception in English education) have no obvious tooth decay compared with 58% in 2008, when Childsmile was introduced. A similar toothbrushing programme was only rolled out in England in March 2025. Goulart told Metro the delay in introducing a toothbrushing scheme meant the number of children missing school due to dental issues could be higher in England than across the border. The government's new scheme aims to give 600,000 children in the most deprived areas access to supervised toothbrushing. Health minister Stephen Kinnock said in March: 'It is shocking that a third of 5-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay – something we know can have a lifelong impact on their health. 'On top of this, we will reform the dental contract to get dentists providing more NHS work as we fundamentally reform the sector through our Plan for Change so it is there for patients once again. 'It's why we're delivering supervised toothbrushing to young children and families who are most in need of support as part of our wider plans to revive the oral health of the nation. 'This includes providing 23 million free toothbrushes and toothpastes through our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive to reach up to 600,000 children each year. 'We're already rolling out 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments for those who need treatment, but by focusing on prevention we can help children have the best start in life.' More Trending According to Department for Education data, the absence rate in state-funded primary schools was 5.2 percent in the 2024/25 academic year to date. Of these, 3.8 per cent of these absences were authorised while 1.4 per cent were unauthorised. A Scottish Government spokesperson praised the 15% improvement in dental hygiene since the introduction of Childsmile. They told Metro: 'Every child should be able to attend school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready to learn, and this research highlights the importance of oral improvement programmes in education settings.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Boy, 10, killed in coach crash back from Somerset zoo trip named by police MORE: At least 16 dead after fighter jet crashes into school in Bangladesh MORE: 'I'm flying them abroad while I work': How parents are entertaining kids this summer
The Herald Scotland
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scots artist develops cosmic ray instrument for Fringe show
Special performances involving Scottish musicians Kathryn Joseph and King Creosote will take place on August 3rd and August 5th, respectively. The particles, known as muons, are used to generate in-depth 3D pictures of structural interiors, which helps researchers see inside dense materials, such as the pyramids of Giza. Artist Lomond Campbell helped design the machine. (Image: Glasgow University) Mahon said: 'Working with Lomond to expand the scope of that research, generating sound alongside images while he plays along with cosmic rays, has been a fantastic experience. 'I'm looking forward to seeing how audiences engage with the Muonophone during the performances and the installation during the month of August.' The series of live performances (entitled MŮO) featuring the muonophone's audiovisual output will be held at Edinburgh's French Institute during the month of August. After the performances conclude, the French Institute will continue to host the muonophone until the 25th of August, giving visitors the chance to see the instrument for themselves. Several events funded by the Institute of Physics in Scotland will also be held, where PhD students from the University of Edinburgh and Glasgow will discuss the science of muons with visitors. Tickets to the live show cost £10, while concessions are £8 and family tickets cost £6. Singer King Creosote is among the guests at the performance series. (Image: free) A statement on Campbell's website reads: 'Using muon detectors, MŮO captures cosmic radiation from deep space, transforming it into reactive sound and entrancing live visuals. 'Performing with his one-of-a-kind handmade instrument, the Muonophone, Lomond creates a constantly evolving sonic landscape, joined by special musical guests throughout the festival. 'Blending art, science and sound in a way you've never seen before, MŮO is a cosmic journey not to be missed.' Muons are generated when cosmic rays collide with the Earth's atmosphere and break apart. Special devices known as muon detectors pick up the presence of the particles as they pass through various materials. The Muonophone reacts to the detection of muons by triggering 'pre-prepared sound and visualisations.' As cosmic rays from 'deep space' shape the muonophone's outputs, Campbell will play live keyboard parts to accompany the machine's soundscapes. Read more: Why does everyone seem to hate Maggie Chapman? 'Long overdue': Scottish young people weigh in on lowering of voting age Smoked salmon, Irn-Bru bhajis and micro herbs: What's on the menu at Bute House? Dr Mahon, of the University of Glasgow's School of Physics & Astronomy, noted: 'I've been working on muon-related research at the University for more than 15 years now, finding new ways to harness cosmic rays to see inside objects. 'A University spinout company, called Lynkeos Technology, is now using muography to provide industry with detailed 3D images of the interiors of structures which are impossible to create using other methods.' Campbell added: 'When approached by The University of Glasgow to work with their muon detecting technology I jumped on it. There is a score being constantly written by the nuclear activity of the cosmos and with muon detectors we can listen in to that and then interpret it sonically and visually. 'I find that whole concept stirring and want MŮO to instil that same sense of wonder in people who come to experience the live performances and the installation. 'What began as an idea to make an instrument called The Muonophone, has grown into a fully immersive audiovisual experience called MŮO, thanks to support from Made In Scotland, Sonica Glasgow and The French Institute.' According to the National Institutes of Health in the United States, muography has a range of uses, including in the fields of geoscience, nuclear safety and security, and civil engineering and archaeology. Muons have been used to explore the interior of the of the most well-known applications of muography is the ScanPyramids project, which has mapped the inside of the Egyptian pyramids, and led to the discovery of several 'plane-sized' voids within the 4500-year-old structures in 2018. At the time, Mehdi Tayoubi, ScanPyramids project co-founder and president of the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, told The Independent: 'It could be composed of one or several structures, maybe it could be another Grand Gallery. It could be a chamber, it could be a lot of things. It was hidden, I think, since the construction of the pyramid.' The rays can also be used to image the inside of volcanoes, nuclear storage facilities, and blast furnaces - and now power musical instruments at the Edinburgh Fringe.
The Herald Scotland
20-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Why Fairlie was the perfect inspiration for a crime novel
'We were living in Fairlie for six months in 2018,' says the New Zealand-based crime writer, of the day inspiration blew in off the Firth of Clyde. 'It's an idyllic setting, it feels like a very safe place, enclosed by hills, a beach sheltered by Cumbrae, one street. A little enclosed space, insulated from the cares of the world. 'So naturally the first thing a crime writer thinks is 'what if something went catastrophically wrong in an idyllic place like this?' It was an idea that knocked on the door and demanded to be written.' McIlvanney had made good pace on the third installment of his DI Duncan McCormack series, following the travails of the gay, shinty-playing cop from Ballachulish, familiar to readers of his 2018's The Quaker and 2022's The Heretic. Yet when the idea for a story about the worst thing that can happen to a young family began to form during his time on the Clyde riviera, McCormack went back into a drawer. 'A lot of times as a writer it's not the book you're writing, but the book you're writing next that is the book that really excites you,' says McIlvanney, speaking to The Herald from his home in New Zealand, days before flying home for a book tour. 'The logical thing to do is the next Duncan McCormack novel, but sometimes something else comes along that feels more urgent, and if something wants to be written then you should probably listen. It's nice to have an idea that you're enthusiastic about. You have a better chance of the reader being enthusiastic about what you're writing about.' What lay at the other side of the door was The Good Father, a story about a couple whose seven year old son vanishes into thin Ayrshire air while walking his dog on Fairlie beach. As well as a prize winning novelist, Professor of Scottish Studies at the University of Otago, and married father of four, Kilmarnock's McIlvanney is, of course, the son of legendary Scottish crime writer William, who died in 2015. It's perhaps too easy a reach to suggest that the book's title is laden with enough resonance to echo into the submarine trenches off Fairlie's coast. (Image: Liam McIlvanney) The plot swings through on the actions of numerous fathers. You wouldn't need to be a family friend to suppose parallels with at least two of them: the central protagonist's dad (famous, broken marriage, buried from Glasgow University chapel) and the protagonist himself (Ayrshire-raised university academic, family man). It all seems so familiar that I absent-mindedly call McIlvanney 'you' when recalling a passage about the central character's late night encounter at the end of a pier. 'Incidents in your life creep in in different forms,' he says. 'There's not a 1-1 correspondence between your life and the things you write in a novel. There are elements of my old man in that character, but also elements of literary characters, those overlearning characters in Scottish literature like John Guthrie is Sunset Song and John Gourlay in House with the Green Shutters. 'You have that and you have elements that you make up in relation to characters. And there's always an element of me in those characters. They're an amalgam of different components. 'I used to find it difficult to read my old man's novels as straightforward novels. I would decode things about them - this character is a certain person in real life. And they are, but they aren't. They're fictional characters, alchemised, transmogrified into something different even if you can trace a line to a person in real life. It's inevitable in fiction, you can have a bit of fun with them.' A decade on from his dad's death, McIlvanney - who will run a 22 date book tour - is candid in his recollections of their relationship. Godfather of Tartan Noir he might have been, but McIlvanney Snr was never presented with Jnr's manuscripts. He says: 'It might have been quite short-sighted in some ways. I don't know. I'm not sure why I didn't avail myself of his expertise. I think I just wanted to see if I could make a go of it without doing that. 'We spoke about things like football and politics, we didn't spend a lot of time talking about writing. He was also a reticent figure in that respect. I have no idea what he thought of the books.' The critics, on the other hand, approve. McIlvanney won the 2018 Scottish Crime Book of the Year for The Quaker at the Bloody Sunday festival. On the face of it, The Good Father would appear to be a one-off, but, McIlvanney jokes, his previous two series - one featuring a journalist, the other the aforementioned cop - are 'two book trilogies' in a line pinched from Greenock-born Hollywood author turned screenwriter Alan Sharp. He'll return Down Under after the summer to continue working on a ghost story. And there are 10,000 words of a start on Duncan McCormack's calling out from a drawer in a desk in New Zealand. 'I have great admiration for people like Lee Childs who can write all those Jack Reacher books, but I couldn't write 20 books about the same character. I need to change things up, says McIlvanney. 'Anyway I'm too slow. I'd be 140 before I was 20 books in.'
