BSPD, BDA and ADG back ‘Brush With Us’ but say prevention must come with contract reform, better uptake and a bigger workforce
Dental organisations have welcomed the Government’s new children’s oral health campaign fronted by Joe Wicks MBE. They also warned that prevention alone will not fix children’s oral health without action on access to care, uptake in schools and the dental workforce.
Their response follows today’s announcement that six million toothbrushes and toothpastes have been delivered to nurseries and schools in the first year of the national supervised toothbrushing programme. Wicks is joining the programme’s second year as the face of ‘Brush With Us’, which Colgate-Palmolive developed with the Department of Health and Social Care. [Link: Six million toothbrushes and toothpastes delivered as Joe Wicks MBE joins campaign]
‘Free from blame’
The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) called the campaign a “landmark” for children’s oral health. It said Wicks could help place toothbrushing alongside healthy eating and physical activity as one of the foundations of a healthy childhood.
BSPD President Dr Rachael Nichol said: “Joe has inspired millions of families to make positive changes through simple, achievable everyday routines. His support offers a powerful opportunity to show that looking after children’s teeth is not separate from their wider health and wellbeing, but an essential part of it.
“Parents and carers are doing their best within busy family lives, so advice must be supportive, realistic and free from blame. Supervised toothbrushing in early years settings can establish a strong routine, while encouragement at home helps that routine become a lifelong habit.”
She added that the campaign must be part of “a wider, sustained commitment to prevention: reaching children and communities with the greatest need, giving every child a dental home and ensuring timely access to appropriate dental care.”
The society said that sustained action on prevention must sit alongside fundamental reform of the dental contract for children and young people.
Uptake ‘low’ in some areas
The British Dental Association (BDA) led calls for the policy, which was pioneered in Scotland and Wales, to be extended to England. It said Government modelling has long shown that supervised toothbrushing saves the NHS more than it costs to deliver. However, the BDA said it understands uptake among schools has been low in some localities.
BDA Chair Eddie Crouch said: “Supervised toothbrushing is a winning formula – a tried and tested policy that saves the NHS more than it costs to deliver.
“But in some areas uptake among schools has been low, and we sincerely hope Joe Wicks can bring new momentum.
“The Government has made the right calls here, but needs to go further and faster to restore access to care, so our kids can get preventive help before problems become emergencies.”
Workforce focus
The Association of Dental Groups (ADG) also welcomed the initiative. Executive Chair Neil Carmichael said that, given Wicks’s “natural rapport with families”, it was “a smart idea to invite Joe to help promote the adoption of a good oral health routine”.
He said: “The Supervised Toothbrushing Programme launched last year was a good start, and now with a commitment from the Government to address the workforce issues with increased numbers of international dentists qualifying through the Overseas Registration Examination and additional places at dental schools opening up, we hope to see children’s oral health turn a corner.”
The ADG said that how the dental workforce can support children in particular will be a key focus for the association in the coming months.
Spit, don’t rinse
The BSPD is reminding parents and carers to brush children’s teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day for two minutes, including last thing before bed. After brushing, children should spit out the toothpaste but not rinse, so the fluoride keeps protecting their teeth.
