A primary school and nursery in Slough have received oral health education from Community Dental Services CIC (CDS), delivered as part of National Smile Month.

Teachers and children at St Mary’s CE Primary School and Cippenham Nursery have celebrated their success after passing their Healthy Smiles accreditation.

The Healthy Smiles accreditation programme delivered by CDS, commissioned by Slough Borough Council, teaches early years settings and primary schools to meet six Healthy Smiles standards which promote positive oral health. Settings also learn how to reduce the frequency of sugary snacks, foods and drinks and provide tooth friendly options.

Jennifer Baitup, strategic oral health lead for CDS, said, “Tooth decay is a serious health issue, which also affects children’s oral and general health, impacting on their confidence, wellbeing and ability to take part in everyday activities such as attending nurseries and schools, yet it is preventable. By delivering our Healthy Smiles and supervised toothbrushing programmes, we are helping children to develop positive oral health skills for life.”

Tooth decay is the leading cause of child hospital admissions in England and according to CDS, the Healthy Smiles programme is key to instilling positive oral health practices and supporting a reduction in the number of children experiencing tooth decay.

Ishrat Shah, cabinet member for public health, wellbeing and equalities, said, “It is great to see our partners CDS have facilitated six early years settings completing their Healthy Smiles accreditation this year and have enrolled another five on the supervised toothbrushing scheme. In addition to this, 12 oral health champions for zero to 19-year-olds have been trained, as well as 14 carer champions.

“One of our main priorities as a council is the health of our residents and it is encouraging to see that a growing number of the 0-19 champions are from diverse sectors across Slough, including early years staff, churches, asylum support workers, and staff from our family hubs; all with one aim of improving the oral health in our borough.”

Asima Sabat, reception year lead and class teacher at St Mary’s CE Primary School, added, “The oral health training was insightful and gave us valuable knowledge to promote good oral hygiene in early years. Accreditation is so important - it ensures we follow high standards and evidence-based practices. Since the training, we have added fun and engaging activities like songs, stories, and role play to our curriculum, and we’re working more closely with parents through workshops and take-home resources. Our oral health displays now highlight brushing steps and tooth friendly foods, and local dental professionals support our efforts. The children especially enjoy games, songs, and brushing dolls’ teeth – it has made learning about oral health memorable.”

Karen Bradley, turtles room leader of two-year-olds at Cippenham Nursery, said, “Teaching the children the importance of cleaning their teeth through a fun and interactive way is setting them up with good skills for the future. Hopefully through imbedding these skills at such a young age we are improving their chances of having good strong teeth as well as a better understanding of oral health.”

References available on request.

For more information email ohp.slough@cds-cic.co.uk

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