In a groundbreaking partnership, Colgate-Palmolive and the UK government have united to transform children’s oral health. A pioneering Supervised Toothbrushing Scheme was announced today by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The scheme will launch in nurseries and primary schools throughout England’s most deprived areas, aiming to protect children from tooth decay and set them on a path to better oral health.

Colgate-Palmolive is thrilled to be making a substantial contribution to this important scheme, with plans to donate over 23m toothbrushes and toothpastes over the next five years, along with educational materials from its esteemed Colgate ‘Bright Smiles, Bright Futures’ (BSPF) programme. This scheme addresses the worrying figures around children’s oral health in the UK. Currently, treatment for decayed teeth leads as the primary cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine, with shocking figures revealing that one in four five-year-olds suffer from tooth decay in England, with even higher rates of one in three in the most deprived areas.

Expected to create a significant impact, this programme will reach up to 600,000 children each year aged three to five, helping to instil positive brushing habits at school and home.

Noel Wallace, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Colgate-Palmolive, said, “At Colgate-Palmolive we believe every child deserves the chance to have a healthier smile and brighter future. We’re thrilled that Colgate and our team in the UK have been chosen to partner with the government to help improve children’s oral health across the country – it’s an incredibly important initiative given the current levels of tooth decay in children. Our global programme Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures is among the most far-reaching and successful children’s oral health initiatives in the world. With long-standing partnerships with governments, schools and communities, Bright Smiles Bright Future has reached approximately 1.8bn children and their families since 1991 across 100 countries with free oral health education and free dental screenings.

“In the UK, we’ve been running Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures since 2014 and are extremely proud to have reached over 18m children across the nation with oral health education and donations of essential health and hygiene products.

“With the launch of the supervised brushing scheme, this partnership will be able to make a real impact in preventing tooth decay and ensuring brighter futures for generations to come. We want all children, regardless of needs or circumstances, to be fully equipped with the information and tools they need to keep improving their oral health every day.”

Stephen Kinnock, health minister, commented, “It is shocking that a third of five-year-olds in the most deprived areas have experience of tooth decay - something we know can have a lifelong impact on their health. It’s why we’re delivering supervised toothbrushing to 600,000 young children and families who are most in need of support as part of our wider plans to revive the oral health of the nation, and we’re pleased to have Colgate on board to help deliver on our ambition.”

For more information visit www.colgatepalmolive.co.uk

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