As published in The Dentist, Dental associations and groups have welcomed the UK government’s new national supervised toothbrushing programme, which will invest £11m to improve children’s oral health in England.
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) supports the scheme, which will provide supervised toothbrushing and oral health supplies to children in schools and early years settings. The initiative, combined with corporate support from Colgate-Palmolive, aims to improve oral health and reduce NHS costs in the long term. Evidence from Scotland highlights the benefits of early supervised toothbrushing in preventing dental decay.
The government also plans to expand community water fluoridation (CWF) across North-East England, an approach backed by the BSPD to reduce tooth decay and hospital admissions for young children.
Other dental groups, including the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) and the Society of British Dental Nurses (SBDN), have also endorsed the initiative. The programme aims to provide oral health equipment to 600,000 young children over five years, reducing health inequalities.
The British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) has also praised the scheme, emphasising the importance of collaboration between dental professionals, educators, and local authorities. By reaching an additional 1.6 million people, the initiative is expected to create long-term improvements in children’s oral health.
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Main image credit: S&B Vonlanthen / Unsplash
