Government and Colgate-Palmolive celebrate major progress with six million toothbrushes and toothpastes delivered in first year of groundbreaking partnership- Fitness coach, author and founder of The Body Coach Joe Wicks MBE is today launching a public health campaign to support families and encourage brushing for two minutes, twice a day.
- The Supervised Toothbrushing Programme forms a key part of the government’s 10 Year Health Planto prevent hospital admissions, tackle health inequalities, and save the NHS millions
Children across the country have been better supported to look after their teeth as six million toothbrushes and toothpastes have been delivered directly to nurseries and schools, government and Colgate-Palmolive announced today (13th October 2026), celebrating one year of the national supervised toothbrushing programme.
As the programme enters its second year, Fitness coach, author and founder of The Body Coach Joe Wicks MBE has joined the initiative to help parents, teachers, and children build better brushing habits. His role will be focused on sharing practical tips for busy families to help make brushing for two minutes, twice a day second nature.
The five-year collaboration aims to boost oral health among children across the country, supported by Colgate-Palmolive’s commitment to donate over 23 million toothbrushes and toothpastes. It is also providing educational materials through its Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures initiative, and a public-facing children’s oral health campaign supporting the NHS, developed with its experience of global oral health education.
The government introduced the supervised toothbrushing programme to tackle a longstanding children’s oral health crisis. The most common reason children aged 5 to 9 are admitted to hospital is to have treatment for decayed teeth. 1 in 5 children aged 5 have experienced tooth decay in England, with higher rates of up to 1 in 3 in more deprived areas.
The programme is tackling these levels of poor health by ensuring children get the support they need to learn positive habits and prevent tooth decay, in turn helping to avoid related illness, poor oral health later in life and safeguarding their healthier futures.
Health Minister James Frith said: “One year into our national supervised toothbrushing programme, we are already seeing incredible progress in tackling the children’s oral health crisis. Delivering six million toothbrushes and toothpastes so far shows the power of focusing on prevention to give every child the best start in life.
“We’re working hard to improve the oral health of the nation and our partnership with Colgate-Palmolive and the support of Joe Wicks MBE are so vital to achieving that goal.”
Fitness coach, author and founder of The Body Coach, Joe Wicks MBE, who is joining the initiative, said: “As a parent I know how busy family routines can be, but brushing for two minutes, twice a day is one small habit that can make a real difference to children’s health and confidence.
“Children’s oral health is part of their wider wellbeing and building good habits early can help set children up for healthier futures.
“I’m proud to support Colgate-Palmolive and the government for the second year of the supervised brushing scheme to help parents, teachers and kids feel confident building healthy habits that last a lifetime.”
Ricardo Cardenas, Senior Marketing Director at Colgate-Palmolive, said: “Colgate-Palmolive is a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all. As part of our purpose, we believe every child deserves the chance to have a healthier smile. We are thrilled with the milestones achieved in the first year of our partnership with the UK Government, and are proud of our impact through Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF).
“Globally, BSBF has reached over 2 billion children and their families since 1991 with free oral health education and dental screenings. Since expanding to the UK in 2014, the program has reached over 18 million children across the nation with oral health education and donations of essential health and hygiene products.
“The supervised brushing scheme is making a real impact in preventing tooth decay and ensuring brighter futures for new generations. We want all children, regardless of needs or circumstances, to be fully equipped with the education and tools they need to keep improving their oral health every day.”
To ensure habits continue outside the classroom, the partnership provides children with brushing kits to take home, alongside educational materials for families and support over school holidays.
The scheme works alongside wider public health measures announced by the government, including £21.5 million in government funding for supervised toothbrushing so far, water fluoridation and the biggest overhaul of school food standards in a generation. Targets to reduce sugar and salt, and guidelines to improve labelling in baby food and drink, were also published in 2025 with industry given until February 2027 to make these changes.
Three million more courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered compared to the year leading up to the general election and 7.2 million children (60%) accessed dental care – which is higher than before the pandemic.
The government is also bolstering the workforce through the biggest sustained expansion of dental school places in twenty years and getting overseas qualified dentists living in the country into work.
Parents and families looking for advice on children’s oral health and daily brushing routines can visit colgate.co.uk or follow #BrushWithUs on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Threads and YouTube.
