​Primary schools and other early years settings are being asked to help Barnsley Borough Council fight against childhood tooth decay.

Barnsley’s children’s public health team offers primary schools and early years settings, such as family hubs and childcare locations funded by supervised toothbrushing clubs, to help develop good oral health habits from an early age.

Nationally, there has been a 17 per cent increase in the number of episodes of decay-related tooth extractions in hospitals for 0- to 19-year-olds compared to the previous financial year of 2021 to 2022. This increase is likely to reflect a continuing recovery of hospital services following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Yorkshire and Humber region has some of the country's highest decay-related tooth extraction rates, at 405 per 100,000 population of 0 to 19-year-olds. The England rate is 236 per 100,000 population of 0- to 19-year-olds.

The council says it wants to make tooth brushing part of young children’s daily routines to help prevent tooth decay.

Staff will be supported with training and a toolkit to set clubs up. They will then commit to having a designated supervisor who will fill in a checklist each term to make sure things are running smoothly.

Parents will be asked for consent for their child to take part in the clubs.

Wendy Cain, the cabinet spokesperson for public health and communities, said, “A healthy mouth and smile mean we can eat, speak and socialise without pain and discomfort. However, almost 30 per cent of five-year-olds in Barnsley have tooth decay. Poor oral health can lead to pain and infection, resulting in sleepless nights, difficulty eating and time off nursery or school.

“Tooth decay is preventable, and the supervised toothbrushing clubs will be effective in reducing tooth decay by complementing toothbrushing at home.”

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