Several societies and associations have voiced their support for the new national supervised toothbrushing programme announced by the UK government. The scheme is set to invest £11m to improve children’s oral health in England.

The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) has welcomed the scheme and said the commitment to fund a targeted supervised toothbrushing scheme for three- to five-year-olds in England is aligned with its recommendation to invest in a preventative approach.

By combining government funding with the generous corporate commitment from Colgate-Palmolive, the future of children’s oral health should improve significantly in the next two to five years, according to the BSPD. This costed and funded commitment will now see children attending schools and early years settings across the country receiving supervised toothbrushing and a supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste to take home. Evidence from Scotland shows that reaching children as early as possible with supervised toothbrushing schemes gives them a better oral health start to life and saves money for the NHS in the long term.

The government’s plans also include the expansion of community water fluoridation (CWF) across the North-East of England. The BSPD has championed this approach since it can deliver substantial reductions in dental decay, abscesses, toothache, tooth extraction and the need for general anaesthetic and hospital admission, particularly in young children.

Urshla Devalia, BSPD media spokesperson, said, “At last, we will see the dial shift on children’s oral health in England. BSPD has been advocating for the importance of a preventative approach to address the crisis in children’s oral health for years. Intervening now with a supervised toothbrushing scheme, plus CWF programmes, are initiatives proven to deliver beneficial oral health outcomes that will pay for themselves severalfold in the future.

“Children’s oral health is everyone’s business, so we are delighted to see industry partners stepping up and taking on the role they can play in reducing oral health inequalities. We are excited to see this commitment to improving children’s oral health, but there is a lot of work to do, and BSPD is rolling up its sleeves to play its part. This is the decisive action we have been pushing for.”

The BSPD has said it’s been calling for targeted supervised toothbrushing in England for children for over 10 years. The society is aware of the barriers to bringing-to-life supervised toothbrushing schemes, which include funding and capacity, as highlighted in research published in the British Dental Journal (BDJ). As a result of this significant commitment from the government and industry, these barriers have been addressed, and progress can start.

Support from the sector

The British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT) has also welcomed the announcement of the programme, which promises to provide oral health equipment to 600,000 young children over the next five years.

Rhiannon Jones, BSDHT president, said, “I was delighted to attend a meeting earlier this week to hear details of the plan, and I very much look forward to seeing the results of this early preventive programme to improve the oral health of this group of children.

“BSDHT’s First Smiles annual campaign has been gaining in momentum across the UK year-on-year. BSDHT dental hygienist and therapist members continue to give freely of their time and expertise and visit nursery and primary schools to teach children the importance of toothbrushing, healthy diets and regular visits to the dentist. Our continued thanks to Oral-B for their support for the First Smiles campaign.

“At the forefront of the prevention of dental diseases, BSDHT’s dental hygienist and therapist members stand ready to become involved in this initiative and engage with the education process in teaching the teachers.“

References available on request.

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