​London-based charity, the Dental Wellness Trust provided free dental health screenings and fluoride varnishing (which helps prevent dental decay) to over 250 children attending Waulud Primary School and Nursery in Luton on July 15, 2022.

London-based charity, the Dental Wellness Trust provided free dental health screenings and fluoride varnishing (which helps prevent dental decay) to over 250 children attending Waulud Primary School and Nursery in Luton on July 15, 2022.

This community-led initiative forms part of the charity’s ambitious national programme, Livesmart Dental Care, which bridges the deeply worrying gap where very few NHS dental practices across Britain are able to take additional patients due to limited capacity, financial resource and thousands of dentists exiting the profession.

A number of these children have never visited a dentist before or were unable to access a dental appointment during the pandemic. As a result, some children were experiencing excruciating pain and becoming absent from school.

Linda Greenwall, founder of the Dental Wellness Trust says, “Without question, the impact of poor oral health on the quality of life is of urgent importance. This is why initiatives such as the Livesmart Dental Care programme are vital in providing essential treatment, interventions and preventative advice for these children and help reduce the risk in later life of chronic diseases. However, unless urgent action is taken by the government to include oral health prevention and toothbrushing programmes, the UK is set to see higher rates of tooth decay among the covid generation of pre-school children who have never seen a dentist or delayed seeing one for too long.”

Mrs Devereux, Headteacher from Waulud Primary School and Nursery adds, “We are thrilled that the Dental Wellness Trust has chosen to work with our school & nursery and offer these essential oral health screening to many of our children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Oral health is a key indicator of overall health, wellbeing and quality of life and yet unfortunately, tooth decay remains one of the most common non-communicable diseases worldwide.”

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