The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), the UK’s leading expert on children and young people’s (CYP) oral health, welcomes the inclusion of a significant number of child-focused measures in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan announcement today. The plan sets out that ‘Children will be our urgent priority’ and the Society notes that this is the first time we have had a vision from the Government that lays out so many interventions to impact children’s oral health for the better, as well as improving their overall wellbeing.
With tooth extraction still the leading cause of hospital admission for children aged 5 to 9 years old – for a disease that is on the whole largely preventable – a focus on CYP’s dental care will be the starting point to putting future generations on the pathway to good oral health for a lifetime. Part of this reset includes the introduction earlier this year of the supervised toothbrushing programme, which BSPD fully supported.
Approaches such as utilising the wider dental workforce are welcomed, along with the shift towards prevention, with BSPD advising the need to ensure that evidence-based interventions are supported in order to build on the impact of the supervised toothbrushing programme. As the expert voice of children’s oral health we are ready to help shape these interventions. BSPD was particularly glad to see the inclusion of the example of the Paediatric Dentistry Advice Clinic (PDAC) model at Whittington’s Community Dental Service which has enabled children in their catchment area to get timely access to specialist-led dental care. Through the use of ‘virtual’ support to a community dental team, children can be treated within their service, preventing the need for onwards referral. This creative PDAC approach was awarded BSPD’s Outstanding Innovation of the Year 2023.
The plan to expand community water fluoridation (CWF) in the north east of England from 2028 will help 1.6 million more people benefit from yet another proven community health intervention. And BSPD would encourage the Government to support further roll outs of CWF initiatives focusing on areas where the oral health of the population is particularly poor.
Whilst the plan to expand free school meals so that all children with a parent in receipt of Universal Credit is a good step, BSPD would urge the Government to go further by allowing all primary school students to be eligible for a free school meal, so that no child in need of a healthy, nutritious meal is missed.
BSPD is encouraged by the plan’s ‘moonshot to end the obesity epidemic’ which includes restricting the advertising of junk food advertising and banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds. Whilst interventions such as requiring reformulation within the soft drinks industry and healthy food sales reporting, will all support a healthier childhood. The Society also welcomes restrictions on the availability and advertising of tobacco and vapes which will help break long-term addiction to nicotine.
Dr Oosh Devalia, BSPD President-Elect said: “We are delighted to see such a comprehensive and creative approach to supporting children’s oral health and overall wellbeing. We must remember that the two are interconnected. We know that taking a preventative approach through supervised toothbrushing programmes, and embracing community water fluoridation can have an impact within just a few years on children’s oral health, and therefore their physical and mental wellbeing.
“The ‘moonshot to end the obesity epidemic’ initiative which will include the restriction of junk food ads and banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds is something that BSPD has been pushing for – for years, so we must keep up the pressure to make the soft drinks industry reformulate. We know that the coming together of a spectrum of child-focused measures will support a healthier childhood. When dentistry is in the crisis that it is in today, children’s oral health becomes everyone’s business, so this joined-up approach is what we need to ensure that every child has the opportunity to have a healthy smile for life.”
