A study has revealed that almost a quarter of children (24 per cent) skip brushing their teeth altogether because they ‘forget or become distracted’.
The survey, published in Dentistry, was conducted by Ordo in partnership with the Dental Wellness Trust.
The survey also found that more than half of parents (52 per cent) report everyday hassles, such as busy mornings, late-night fatigue or chaotic schedules, as the main reason their children skip brushing teeth.
In addition, 10 per cent of those asked said their children are deterred by the strong taste of toothpaste, while another seven per cent are discouraged by sensitive teeth.
When it came to wider support, 21 per cent felt let down by the ‘inadequate’ dental education system’.
This follows dental associations and groups welcoming the UK government’s new national supervised toothbrushing programme, which will be rolled out for UK children aged three to five from April.
The scheme will be launched in early years settings such as primary schools and nurseries in the most deprived areas of the country. The government is investing £11 million in local authorities to deliver the programme to institutions that sign up, with funding available from April 2025.
Every £1 spent on supervised toothbrushing is estimated to save £3 in avoided treatment costs. This equates to a saving of £34 million for the NHS over the next five years.
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